Dare To Believe
by dacbc77
Summary: What happens after Ezra realizes that Ella thinks he's dating Spencer? 2x12  Ezria
1. Chapter 1: On The Line

A/N: so this my first PLL story (Im new to the fandom since I started PLL about a month ago, but Im totally addicted to Ezria since then!) and also this is my first story in English, so I hope you'll enjoy it.

The story starts when Byron sees Ezra coming in the police station and continues after Ezra realizes that Ella thinks he's dating Spencer (2x12) Totally and 100% focus on Ezria

I'm not sure how long this story will be but for now I got about 5/6 chap planned.

I wanna thank Haku2009 for being my betareader!

I guess that's all I'll let you enjoy the story now and I promise the A/N will be shorter next time!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own Pretty Little Liars.

**Chapter 1: On The Line**

Byron- What's Ezra doing here?

Ella quickly turned her head to the hallway where Mr. Fitz just appeared. She knew exactly why he was here, but now really wasn't best time for him to reveal his relationship with his former student. She saw him talk to an officer who pointed him to their direction.

Ella- Why don't you hear Peter out? I'll be right back.

Byron nodded trying his best to focus on Peter Hastings, who was explaining what was happening with the girls, but he couldn't help but wonder what his colleague was doing here.

Ella walked over to Ezra, deciding to get him out of here before he create any more trouble to the Hastings. When Ezra lifted his head spotting Aria's mom approaching him. He stopped almost instantly. Of course he knew her parents would be here, but he hadn't really had time to think of an excuse to explain why he was there, and when he crossed her looking half-determine half-upset, he thought that maybe it was too late for a lie.

Ezra- Ella.

Ella- I know why you're here.

Strangely, he wasn't surprise. From the moment she looked at him, he knew something had changed. Ella wasn't looking at him like a friend, a co-worker. The affection she might have felt for him had turned into something else… hate maybe? Either way he had to explain himself.

Ezra- You need to understand that I…

Ella- Stop.

She didn't let him finish his sentence. Nothing that he could have said would change her mind anyway.

Ella- This is a very small town, people see things, and they talk… I actually thought you were an outstanding teacher.

Ezra understood how disappointed in him she was. Ella thought that he was a good man, and now that she had found out about his relation with his student, everything good that he had done in the past vanished, leaving only an image of him a professor taking advantage of his status to date a student. Ezra hated that she saw him like that, but he had to admit that from an outside point of view there was only one way this could have looked. However he still wanted to try and explain this to her, to tell her the truth. He wasn't dating Aria because he was her teacher and had some sort of hold over her, no. He was with her because he never felt better than when she was on his side. Because with just a smile, a single look from her was enough to brighten even his worse day. Because every time she was away from him, he only thought about her. Because…

Ezra- I'm in love with her

So it was true. Ella had hoped for a moment, that maybe, she just imagined this story. Now with this confession there was no room for doubt. He had a relation with one of his students. She took a deep breath trying to remain calm. He had told her point blank, like admitting it would to erase the problem. In fact that was so far from it. Actually she was under the impression that he really didn't realize the situation he had put himself into. From all the parents in Rosewood, the Hastings were probably the most influential in town. They could make his life a living hell, and even if Ella didn't approve of Ezra's and Spencer's relationship, she didn't wish to anyone to suffer from Peter's and Veronica's anger. Then again, it was really, really not the moment to reveal this story!

Ella- I'm gonna give you one chance to walk away from this, not because you deserve it, but because this is the last thing that we need deal with right now, and when you go, you need to keep going because if Spencer's parents find out about this, they will ruin you.

Ezra didn't understand right away what she had said.

Ezra- Spencer's parents?

She thought he was acting like that on purpose.

Ella- Yes, because trust me they won't be happy when they'll hear about your relationship with their daughter.

Ezra stopped breathing under the shock. She didn't know! All that she said was about Spencer, not Aria. She had no idea that he was dating her daughter, and yet she was already looking at him with disappointment, and that feeling of betrayal in her eyes. He couldn't imagine how she would feel when she learned the truth… all of the truth. Even though this was not the moment or the place to say it, he had to. He owed the truth, to her, because, not so long ago, she had been his friend, but also to Aria, who had been the one lying day after day to her parents to protect their relationship, and also to Spencer, who somehow, got mixed up into this.

Ezra- I… I'm not in love with Spencer.

Ella- Don't try to deny it now that you've confessed Ezra.

Ella tried as much as she could to remain calm, not wanting to make a scene in the police station in front of Spencer's parents, but seeing him lying to her only a few minutes after he confessed his love, only made this harder.

Ezra- No, I'm not… Ella, I…

Ezra had trouble finding the right words. He wanted to tell the truth, but he also wanted to find a way to tell her without hurting her anymore than he already had.

Ezra- I didn't came here for Spencer.

Ella didn't expect to hear that, but was it the truth, or just another lie to protect himself?

Ella- Oh yeah, then who?

She didn't take her eyes off him, looking for any clue that would help her tell fact from fiction. Ezra could feel the pressure growing in him. He had never been this nervous before. But it was too late to back down. He swallowed with difficulty before talking. It was time for him to step up for his relationship.

Ezra- … Aria.

At the same time, Aria, Spencer, Hannah, and Emily appeared on the other side of the hallway, where each of their parents were. All the girls were escorted by an officer. Ezra's eyes immediately fell on Aria. He noticed that hers were red and her skin was covered with dirt. She seemed so frightened, and the only thing that he wanted to do right now, was run to her, hold her tight in his arms, and tell her everything was going to be alright.

When she saw Ezra, Aria couldn't stop a tear to run down her face. He was here, Ezra came for her. She wanted to join him, but the hand gripped around her arm forced her back into reality. The officer pulled her towards him causing her to keep walking. Her eyes though didn't let go of Ezra's eyes. This invisible bond between them right now was the only thing that prevented her from breaking down. She gave him a little smile right before she disappeared behind a door.

Ezra released a breath of air not realizing that he had in fact been holding it during the time of the short exchange with Aria. He was so worried about her, and even if she looked better than she sounded on the phone, he knew that she was far from being okay.

Lost in his thoughts, Ezra had almost forgotten about Ella, whose he had just confessed his relation with Aria, but she war far, very far, from forgetting it. She hadn't had the time to process what her ex-co-worker just said, when her daughter appeared in the room. From that moment until the one when she disappeared from her view, Ella hadn't let Aria out of her sight, and she, she was only staring at Ezra, like he, could save her from this situation. How could she even thought that, knowing he had used his power to take advantage of her? HE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF HER! Ezra, the man Ella thought was his friend, her daughter's kind English teacher, her husband's colleague! He had lied to them and he had dared… he had dared touch to Aria, THEIR DAUGHTER! Ella was about to explode. She had never been so angry in her entire life. Not when her husband cheated, not when he lied, not when he forced Aria to lie. She gritted her teeth and tried to find, god knows where, a little strength not to yell.

Ella- Get out.

Ezra looked at her again, barely getting over his little moment with Aria. Ella wasn't looking at him anymore, she seemed to be containing her emotions as much as she could. He had to try to calm things down.

Ezra- Ella I…

Ella- Get out… RIGHT NOW.

Her eyes had fallen on him and she had raised her tone, not being able to contain her anger any longer. Spencer's and Hannah's parents, along with Byron had turned their head towards them alerted by Ella's voice, and this last one came closer to them.

Byron- Ella, what's going on?

She didn't answer, still staring at Ezra, who seemed lost, not knowing what to do or say to calm his girlfriend's mother down.

Ella- Go away! I don't ever want to see you again!

This time she pointed a finger at him, and Ezra knew that she would kick him out of here by herself if she had to. Byron was still as confuse. Not knowing, not understanding, why his wife was yelling at their friend.

Byron- Ezra what's…

Ezra- I… I should go.

It was the best thing to do, for him, and also probably for them. Ella needed some time to calm herself down and process the situation, being more sound of mind. Nothing good could come out of a discussion right now, if there could even be one. They were in the middle of a police station surrounded by dozens of officers. If Ezra would have stayed, he could be certain that he would have ended up tonight and probably the rest of his life in a prison cell. He gave one last look to Ella and Byron.

Ezra- I'm sorry.

Then he left the police station. Ella took a deep breath when he disappeared. She joined her hands together to trying to cool down a little.

Byron- Ella, what… what happened?

She raised her eyes on her husband and took a moment to get back to a close to normal state after her fit of rage, before answering to him.

Ella- I… I don't wanna talk about it right now… Can we just focus on getting Aria out of here?

Byron stared at her for a second before giving her a little nod. He knew that he better agreed with his wife when she was like that. She would explain her behavior towards Ezra later.

Ella tried as hard as she could to forget what she had just learn. For now the "Fitz problem" was gone and she had to take care of her daughter if she didn't want to see her end up in jail. Aria would have all the time she needed to explain herself once she was safely at home. Her and her husband then rejoined the other parents to learn a little more about how they could get their daughters out of this place.

Don't forget to leave a review to tell what you think of the story and if you want me to keep writing it ;)


	2. Chapter 2: The Rescue part 1

A/N: First of all, I am so sorry for the wait. I had the chap written weeks ago but I had problems with my betareader. But chap 2 is finally here!

Thank you for all your reviews they really made me happy you have no idea!

I've seen that some of you had trouble with the way I write the dialogue so I change it a little ;)

Also this chap 2 was a little long so I'll post it in 2 parts ;) Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own PLL (no matter how much I'd want to)

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: The Rescue (part 1)<strong>

An hour had passed since Ezra's departure and Ella had managed as best as she could to forget what was going on between him and her daughter for now. After all she had other things to worry about. Peter Hastings had informed them that the police had put the girls in custody until the bail hearing where it would be determine how much it would cost for them to be released and apparently, finding a judge at 2 am wasn't that easy. Besides even if the girls were freed, the investigation was only started. They had been questioning together tonight but, according to Peter, they would have a personal interview with detective Wilden in the following days.

It was almost 3 am when an officer finally came to tell the parents that a judge had set the bail to $500. Everyone settled their dues while Hannah's mom also paid for Emily since her parents wouldn't be there until the morning. It was out of the question to let her spend the night in jail. A few minutes later, a policeman brought in the four girls, who all seemed as exhausted as the other. Hannah ran to her mother's arm as well as Spencer. Ella gave a little smile to her daughter to reassure her but it was Byron who took her up against him.

Aria noticed her mother's strange attitude, but didn't really paid attention to it as she was too busy scrutinizing the police station to search for Ezra. But apparently he was already gone. She couldn't really blame him for that and the fact he had come at all was something at least. Besides with Ella's and Byron's presences he couldn't really say that he was here for his girlfriend. Yet she would have preferred that he stayed because she really needed him right now. Her parents were here for her sure, but they weren't him. Only he could help her to get better, to feel safe at this moment, but he wasn't here.

So she content herself with her dad's hug. Ashley Marin told Emily that her parents would arrive later and after a quite talk with detective Wilden, who reminded them that they couldn't leave the town, the girls left the police station. Miss Marin and her ex-husband, accompanied by Hannah and Emily, went to her car, followed by the Hastings. Aria was about to do the same with her parents when her eyes fell on a man in the parking lot. She stared at him for a few seconds before realizing who he was before breaking into a run towards him.

Ezra looked at his watch, it was 3.15 am. It has been two hours since he was in his car in the parking lot, waiting for Aria or her parents to walk out of the police station. Ella had forced him to leave it but that didn't mean that he had stopped worrying about Aria, on the contrary. He watched every person who left, hoping that at some point it would be her or her parents, which would have allowed him to get back inside to ask news about her. Aria had called him because she needed him here so there was no way he was going to leave.

When Hannah and Emily appeared at the door of the police station, Ezra stepped out of his car, thinking that if they were free, Aria should be too. He hadn't been mistaken since after Spencer and her parents left he caught sight of Ella and Byron followed by Aria. She was walking with her head down and her arms crossed over her chest trying to protect herself from the cold. Ezra was relieved to see that she wouldn't spend the night in jail and he wanted to go to her. Due to her parent's presence, especially Ella's, it prevented him from doing it. Luckily for him Aria raised her head as she stepped down the several stairs of the police station and that's when her eyes laid on him, Ezra.

He hadn't left, he was waiting for her. A smile drew itself on her face when she understood that and before she even realized what she was doing Aria was already running towards him. Her tears covering her smile. She needed to feel him against her, to be in his arms. Aria barely heard her mom yelling her name when Ella had realized that Ezra was still here and that her daughter was rejoining him. All that Aria could see was his blue pupils and his strong arms reaching out for her. When she finally got to him Ezra squeezed her against him, keeping her the closest to him that he could. She nestled her head against his chest and closed her eyes. She used this moment to finally let go of all the tension she felt this day. Her tears wetted his shirt so he whispered in her ear.

Ezra- « Shhh, it's gonna be okay Aria. I'm here. »

He heard her take a deep breath before she tightened her embrace on him.

Aria- « I… I thought you left. »

Ezra- « You called me remember. I'm not going anywhere. »

She cracked a little smile and he kissed her forehead. Aria knew that she was safe now. She felt Ezra's hand stroking her back, always tightening her closer to him. They stayed embrace together for what seemed to them an eternity, but was really less than a minute. Ezra realized that Ella and Byron were looking at them. So he detached himself a little from Aria and she raised her eyes to him. He wiped away her tears with his thumbs, while staring at her.

Ezra- « Maybe… maybe you should go home. »

He really didn't want to leave her but he knew that her parents were probably making a huge effort to not come over here and pull her out of him.

Aria- « I don't wanna leave you Ezra. Take me home with you. »

He stared at her for a moment, drowning in her hazel eyes. He knew that he should say no to her. Because her parents wouldn't be okay with that and it wasn't really helping his case, but she seemed so frail right now and all he wanted to do was protect her. She looked at him intensely, wanting to make him understand just how much she needed him. Ezra glanced at Ella and Byron before binding his hands with Aria's.

Ezra- « Ok. Get in the car. I'll be right back. »

They exchanged a little smile to seal their deal. Aria looked at her parents one last time. She knew she should be worried about their reaction, but she felt like her mind was anaesthetize right now. She was so exhausted by this day, that she hadn't the strength to be bothered by her parents. The only think she wanted was to go to bed and fall asleep in her boyfriend's protective arms. So she slide into Ezra's car.

He put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath before walking over to Aria's parents. He could already see all their anger in their eyes.

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><p>AN: Like it? Leave me a review it would make me the happiest girl in the world, plus I will post the 2nd part way faster ;)

Also I forgot to tell you, I name my chapters after song title. If you wanna check it out: chap 1 was On the Line by Nick Howard, chap 2 The Rescue by Tyler Ward and the fic Dare To Believe by Boyce Avenue (btw Marlene tweeted their vid "Find Me" I really hope there gonna use it in PLL!)


	3. Chapter 2: The Rescue part 2

A/N: Thank you for all your reviews! Here's the next part of the chapter I hope you like ;)

****Disclaimer: I don't own Pretty Little Liars

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: The Rescue (part 2)<strong>

_Ezra- « Get in the car. I'll be right back. »_

_They exchanged a little smile to seal their deal. Aria looked at her parents one last time. She knew she should be worried about their reaction, but she felt like her mind was anaesthetize right now. She was so exhausted by this day, that she hadn't the strength to be bothered by her parents. The only think she wanted was to go to bed and fall asleep in her boyfriend's protective arms. So she slide into Ezra's car. _

_He put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath before walking over to Aria's parents. He could already see all their anger in their eyes._

Byron had wondered what his daughter was doing when he saw her run off to the parking lot. Then he noticed Ezra's presence, who, apparently hadn't went home after the altercation with his wife. He still hadn't discovered the reason why he came to the police station earlier, but when he saw his daughter going to him, he knew that she had something to do with that. Byron saw his colleague hugging Aria, whispering in her ear. Why was he doing that? Why did Aria hug him? It was her English teacher, well he used to be, now he worked at Hollis. Why was she crying in his arms? Why were they acting like they were more than a teacher and his student, like they were… No! It was impossible! Ezra and his daughter couldn't… No! Byron turned towards his wife to try to find a rational explanation to their behavior, but he realized that she had the same angry face than during her argument with Ezra.

Ella was astounded by the scene that was happening in front of her eyes. She would have never thought that he would have dared to come back after their fight. By now he should have already left town, disappeared from their lives… from her life. But instead of that, he had stayed in front of the police station. She didn't want him to approach Aria and he must have known that because he didn't move when he saw them, no… Instead, it was her daughter who thrust herself to him. Ella yelled her name, trying to dissuade her from rejoining him but in vain, she could only watch their embrace, not being able to do anything. She was too much in shock of her daughter's gesture to react. Aria hadn't cease to stare at Ezra in the police station and now she was the one who had huddle up in his arms, in her teacher's arms, the man that had used his power to abuse her. Ella wasn't recognizing her daughter. Aria would have never been fooled like that. She was smart and wouldn't let anyone force her to do something. So how did Ezra manage to manipulate her like that? She didn't have time to think about it much longer because she just saw her daughter getting in her "teacher's" car, whom was heading toward them.

Byron could hardly believe it. He couldn't have imagined that Ezra, his friend, had betrayed him like that. His daughter was only 16 for crying out loud!

Ezra arrived next to them. He decided to talk before they did, hoping that they would let him explain himself.

Ezra- « You have every right to be mad at me, for lying to you, and, and because I'm with Aria… »

Byron opened his eyes wide when he heard Ezra confirmed his fear. He didn't stop talking for all that.

Ezra- « But right now the most important thing is her. She had a tough day, she's tired and scared. I know that you wanna get her home, but, but she asked if she could come with me. »

Ella's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't reacted so far, but she wasn't gonna let him do whatever he wanted.

Ella- « Are you serious? You really believe that we're gonna let her alone with you? »

Ella was pissed and Ezra understood that, but at this moment he didn't care about her anger. Only Aria was filling his worries. He had to take care of her, no matter what her parents thought of him right now. So he answered to Ella, keeping his voice as calm as possible, trying his best to make her understand that he was doing this for her daughter's sake.

Ezra- « I do because, as much as you hate this, as much as you hate me Aria needs me right now and I'm not gonna let her down. »

He stared at Ella then Byron, straight in the eyes. They had to understand that it was better this way and that he wouldn't change his mind.

Ezra- « You'll have all the time that you want tomorrow to yell at me and tell me how wrong this is, but tonight I'm taking Aria home with me and I'm gonna take care of her, because I love her. »

Ella wanted to answer that she wasn't gonna let him leave with her, but the words just didn't come out. She had heard what he said about them, about Aria. Even if she didn't want to, she had felt his honesty, his worry for their daughter. Her heart told her that he wasn't lying right now and that he might be the best person to comfort Aria if that's what she wanted. But her reason told her that she couldn't let her sixteen years old daughter leave with her twenty-two years old former English teacher. She stared at him, trying to make a decision or hoping that Byron would make one for her, but he was as lost as her.

He had trouble admitting it to himself but Ezra seemed, he seemed really sincere, and very determined despite his calm tone. He couldn't believe that he was telling a lie to them. Saying that he loved Aria, that he wanted to take care of her. Byron couldn't see why he would say that if it wasn't the truth. Of course it didn't mean that he was okay with Aria dating him, but as Ezra had said, right now the most important thing was his daughter's well-being.

Ezra took their silence as a positive answer and decided to speak again before they changed their mind.

Ezra- « I'll get her home in the morning… »

He glanced at them one last time before going back to his car. As he started to move away from them, Ella wanted to take a step to catch him but Byron stopped her by catching her arm. She gave him an interrogative look but all she had for answer was a little nod and the first thing that came out of his mouth.

Byron- « Don't… »

She stared at him, knowing that a part of her agreed with him. A fight in the middle of the parking lot of the police station wouldn't help anyone. They were all tired and needed time to process everything that had happened today. Their explanation from Aria and Ezra would have to wait until the morning.

Ezra took a deep breath when he arrived at his car reassured that neither Byron nor Ella had jumped him from behind. He smiled a little when he realized that he had successfully confronted her parents and convinced them to let their daughter leave with him. It was a small victory knowing what was awaiting him tomorrow, but it was enough for the time being. Now Ezra could focused on the most important person in his life, Aria. He rejoined her in the car and noticed that she had dozed off against the window. He couldn't help but smile when he saw her so peaceful. He stared at her for a moment before linking his fingers to hers which made her open her eyes. He smiled tenderly at her.

Ezra- « Let's go home. »

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><p>AN: Leave me your review I really wanna know what you think about this little confrontation. I know that Byron and Ella aren't exactly mad in this one but I keep that for their next talk with Ezra!

I probably won't post the next chapter before the next weekend, so here's a little spoiler: Aria and Ezra will back at his apartment and all alone.


	4. Chapter 3: In Your Arms part 1

A/N: Thank you for you reviews!

Notinyourlifetimehoney: the talk with Ella and Byron will happen in chap 4 (probably the 2nd part of it)

The next chapter will be post in 3 parts because a lot of things happened ;)

Here's the first part, I know it's short but the next two will be wayyyy longer

Thank you to my amazing betareader Caithrine Glidewell!

Disclaimer: I don't own PLL

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: In Your Arms (part 1)<strong>

The ride back to Ezra's apartment didn't last more than ten minutes and their hands didn't part at any moment. The silence was filling the car but it wasn't uncomfortable. Aria knew that she was safe now that he was at her fingertips. She had rested her head against the window and let herself be lulled by the road, dozing off at times. Ezra, he stayed focus on his driving but he still took a look at Aria from time to time. When they arrived in front of his building, he got out of the car, leaving with regret the comforting contact of their intertwined fingers, and he went around the car to open his girlfriend's door. Ezra saw her shivered when she stepped out, so he took off his jacket and put it on her shoulders. Aria gave him a little thankful smile, before he carried her with him towards the building, his arm wrapped around her waist. He let her come in first in his apartment once he had opened the door. She slowly walked in this familiar place, immersing herself with the reassuring atmosphere. Here nothing could happen to her.

Ezra- « You wanna take a shower? Or I could cook something if you're hungry? »

Aria turned around to look at him, liking the fact that he wanted to take care of her like that.

Aria- « I… I just wanna get cleaned up and… go to bed. »

Ezra- « Ok… Well, go to the bathroom and I'll get you some clothes. »

She nodded gently to thank him and then went to the bathroom. Aria put Ezra's jacket on the chair next to the sink and when she lifted her head her look stopped on the mirror. It took her a few seconds before she realized that she was facing herself. Big rings were surrounding her eyes. Her face was darkened by the dirt and the makeup that hadn't resisted to her tears. Her hair, which had been perfectly done a few hours ago, was now disheveled. She had never looked so awful… but after a day like that, she couldn't expect to have a radiant face. Moreover, her troubles were far from being over, with « A », Detective Wilden, her parents… Aria knew that she should be worried about these last ones because they had just learnt the truth about her and Ezra, but with everything that had happened today, she felt like if she worried about one more thing her brain would explode. She closed her eyes to chase these thoughts out of her mind. She would have all the time to rethink about that after she would have rested a few hours. Aria took off her jewelry, then her clothes that she left on the floor. Not very long ago she was wearing a beautiful pink dress, but now it didn't really look like anything, it had been tarnished and torn in some places because of her late-night « walk » in the woods. Aria slid into the shower and stayed under the hot fountain for a long time, letting the water stream on her body and erase the traces of this day. Soon, heavy tears came mingle with the darkened water. She released all the tension, all the stress, the worries, the fear, everything she had retained today so she wouldn't break down. She didn't know how long it took for her to let it all out… 10 minutes? An hour? It didn't matter, but when Aria got out of the shower, cleaned up and exhausted, she found pajama bottoms and a T-shirt on the chair. She then realized that she hadn't even heard Ezra when he came into the bathroom to lay those out. She put on the clothes, using this moment to inundate herself with his smell before exiting the room.

Ezra slightly smiled when he finally saw her getting out of the bathroom. It had been more than an hour since she was in it and he couldn't help himself worrying about her. He had heard her cry in the shower when he had come in, but even though he had wanted more than anything to join her and take her in his arms, he knew that she needed some time alone to get rid of the stress of the day. Her eyes were red and she seemed more tired than when she arrived here, but Ezra couldn't help thinking that she looked incredibly beautiful in his striped pajama bottoms and his yellow Hollis t-shirt. He put down his book on his bedside, a book which he hadn't really read since he was too busy staring at the bathroom door. He reached out his hand towards Aria.

Ezra- « Come here. »

She smiled a little at him before joining him in the bed. She slid under the cover then Ezra put his arm around her waist to move her closer to him. Aria rested her head in the space between his neck and his collar bone and closed her eyes, forgetting all her problems to focus only on the comforting contact of her body pressed against Ezra's. He slowly ran his hand on Aria's face and brushed back a curl on her forehead before placing a gentle kiss on it. She raised her eyes to meet his.

Aria- « Thank you. »

She would have wanted to add something else to show him how grateful she was for everything he had done for her tonight but she couldn't find the words. Her brain was too exhausted to form another word. Luckily for her, Ezra didn't need anything more to understand how she felt. He smiled to her before he kissed her tenderly.

Ezra- « You should try to get some sleep. »

Aria nodded slightly and put back her head on his shoulder, leaving her hand rest on his bare chest. She let herself be lulled by Ezra's tender strokes along her arm until she reached the arms of Morpheus. Ezra looked at her for a moment, wanting to make sure she was okay. He saw her face soften up as the minutes passed and he finally let himself be swept away by his own tiredness. It didn't take long before he joined her in the dreamland.

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><p>AN: Like it? Leave me a review and the next part will be up soon ;) It will be the wake up of Ezria!

Also the title of this chapter is from Kina Grannis' song "In Your Arms"


	5. Chapter 3: In Your Arms part 2

A/N: Thanks for your reviews!

Notinyourlifetimehoney it will technically be in chap 5 or 6 depending on how long it will last :p

Disclaimer: I don't own PLL

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: In Your Arms (part 2)<strong>

When Aria opened her eyes she felt Ezra's breath on the back of her neck. She must have moved while sleeping because she now had her back against him. She smiled when she noticed that he had wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her close to him. She ran her hand along his forearm before linking her fingers to his. Aria wanted to make the most of this moment, of this well-being that she felt every time she was in his arms, before she had to come back to reality. So many things had happened and she wasn't sure she wanted to dive back into it right now. She slowly turned to face Ezra, being careful not to wake him up. Her eyes fell on his sleepy face. He looked so peaceful in his sleep but Aria knew that his mind probably wasn't after everything that had happened the day before. He had been worrying about her for sure. She had seen it in his eyes at the police station and she had felt his relief when he had held her in his arms in the parking lot. Ezra had had to take care of her and above all, he had had to talk to her parents… alone. Aria had no idea of what he had said to them, what they had said to him… but apparently it hadn't been worse than what she could have imagined since her parents had let her leave with him.

Aria's train of thought got interrupted by a little laugh escaping Ezra's lips. At first she was surprised, wondering why he was doing that, but then she remembered the anecdote that Hardy had told the night she had met him in the bar. At that moment, she had thought that it was really cute that Ezra laughed in his sleep and now that she had seen him do it, she found it even more adorable. It was the first time that it had happened, even if it wasn't the first night they spent together. She smiled when she heard Ezra laughed again. Aria stared at him for a moment, wondering how she had managed to find such an extraordinary man. She loved Ezra from the bottom of her heart. She would have never thought that she could have been so attached to someone. But from the moment her eyes had crossed those of this man in the bar, she had known that she couldn't spend another minute without being with him, without thinking about him. Ezra had become her life, her oxygen. Every day he impressed her a little more by his kindness, his intelligence, his beauty. He understood her like no one else could. He was always there for her when she needed him. Aria could still hardly believe that she had almost lost him for Jason. It was without any doubt the biggest mistake of her life and she had promised herself to erase this memory of her mind. Ezra was the love of her life, her soul mate… him and no one else. Moreover this amazing man was starting to wake up.

Aria felt his arms tightened their grip around her petite body when she let her hand climb back along his bare chest, stopping when she reached the nape of his neck. Ezra slowly opened his eyes, immediately smiling when he met the hazel irises he loved so much.

Ezra- "Hi."

Aria- "Hey."

He raised his right hand to her cheek before he kissed her tenderly on the lips. They watched each other quietly for a moment. Aria's fingers playing gently with his hair while his were stroking her face.

Ezra- "Did you sleep well?"

It certainly wasn't the best night she had had, but after what had happened the day before she had expected to have a night way worse than this.

Aria- "Better than if you weren't here."

He gave her a little smile before he kissed her again. Their eyes met and Aria stared at him intensely, letting her fingers rest on his neck.

Aria- "Thank you Ezra… Thank you for being there last night and for taking care of me… I don't know what I would have done without you."

Tears welled up in her eyes as the memories of yesterday came back in her mind. She felt Ezra tighten his grip on her and stroke her back to reassure her. She rested her head on his shoulder, letting a few tears escape her eyes.

Ezra- "Do you want to talk about it?"

She stayed silent for a moment. Her thoughts didn't cease to turn in her mind. The shrink, 'A', the police, Jackie, the shovel that had killed Ali… She was totally overwhelmed by all of this. She needed to let it all out.

Aria- "I… I did some things I shouldn't have…"

Another tear rolled onto her face and Ezra lifted up her chin with his fingers to look at her.

Ezra- "Aria, you can tell me anything."

There were so many things that she wanted to tell him. To unburden her and confess everything to Ezra would feel so good… but she knew that she couldn't. 'A' wouldn't think twice about hurting him if she/he learnt that Aria had talked. It was out of the question to risk Ezra's safety, he was way too important to her.

Ezra- "Aria…"

He ran his hand along her cheek to force her to look at him, erasing some tears at the same time.

Ezra- "I'm here for you."

She stared at him for a moment. His eyes were so sincere and she saw how much he was worrying about her. She couldn't leave him like that. At least she had to try and explain to him what happened the day before, without revealing 'A's existence.

Aria- "I… We…"

She fumbled for words not knowing where to start.

Aria- "You know that after Ian attacked Spencer, our parents made us see a shrink."

Ezra nodded encouraging her to continue.

Aria- "Two days ago the girls and I… We all went to see her. We... We told her something. Something important..."

She whispered the last words. She had a lump in her throat and she could barely talk.

Aria- "I didn't think that... that..."

Tears rolled onto her face again as she thought back to this visit which had started this explosive reaction from 'A'.

Ezra- "That what Aria?"

Ezra tried to keep his voice as calm as possible, seeing that Aria had trouble talking to him. He kept her close to him in his arms, wanting her to feel safe enough to continue her story.

Aria- "That this was also something dangerous..."

Ezra's concern went up a notch. He knew that she had been hiding something from him for awhile now, but he was far from thinking that this could be that bad.

Ezra- "Dangerous? What did you tell her?"

Aria knew from the moment she had started to talk that he would have questions and that some of them were to remain unanswered. She hated that but it was the only way to keep him safe.

Aria- "I can't say Ezra... I really wish I could... But I can't make this mistake twice."

'A' had gotten rid of Dr. Sullivan easily and the fact that she/he could do the same to her boyfriend terrified Aria. Tears escaped her eyes once again and she wasn't able to stop them.

Ezra tried his best to reassure her with his strokes. He saw that she was struggling with herself. One minute she looked ready to let everything out and the next one she seemed paralyzed at the thought of what would happen if she did. Ezra wanted to know what she was hiding so that he could help her, but it was out of the question to force her to talk. He had to let her go at her own pace, even if he had a thousand questions.

After a few minutes of silence, Aria was able to calm down a little and she continued her story, appreciating the fact that Ezra didn't force her to answer his questions.

Aria- "The next day... the shrink, she had disappeared... She wasn't at her office or at her house and her phone was off..."

Ezra- "Maybe she took a vacation or she got sick..."

He tried to find a rational explanation, maybe she was worried for no reason.

Aria- "No... It's because of us."

Ezra- "You can't be sure Aria."

Aria- "I am."

Ezra saw in her eyes that she was convince of that, so he decided to trust her and invite her to continue.

Aria- "We looked for her, but she was nowhere... And then we... We learnt that she was in danger... Someone had her…"

Aria knew that it only brought more questions for him and that he was dying to ask them so she continued before he could talk.

Aria- "I don't... I can't... tell you…"

Ezra nodded gently so she would understand that she didn't need to justify herself. If she wouldn't or couldn't say anything else about it, then he would wait.

Ezra- "Did you go to the police?"

Aria- "We couldn't... If we had, they would have killed her."

As Aria talked, Ezra realized that, this 'little' secret that she kept from him, was way more important and serious that he could have imagined. It was a huge weight on her conscience and it looks like she had been carrying it for awhile. How had he not seen that before?

Ezra- "What did you do?"

Aria- "They... They told us to go somewhere... The shrink was supposed to be there... It was near a barn."

Aria knew she was hiding a huge part of the story but she had no choice. She had to keep some information secret, like the box they had receive and their 'Chucky dolls' that had forced them to do things against their will or the fact that 'A' tried to kill Emily, if she wanted to keep Ezra safe.

Aria- "We found a shovel with coordinates that were supposed to lead us to where she was... It was in the middle of the woods... And when we arrived there, there was nothing… just some soil that had been turn over… We thought that they buried her alive... So we started digging... And... And she wasn't there... All we found was a dummy... Before we could realize what was happening the police arrived..."

Aria couldn't stop crying and she had difficulty to finish the story, as she thought back of these horrible minutes. They had run into the woods in the middle of the night to try to save the doctor Sullivan. They had worried about her and had been scared to find her dead body and all this time 'A' had made them run after a dummy.

Aria- "The shovel that we found... It's Alison's murder weapon..."

Aria said the last words between sobs and it took Ezra a minute to understand what she had said and a few more seconds to realize what that meant.

Ezra- "Somebody set you up..."

It was more for him than for her. He was slowly realizing what had happened the day before, even if there was still a huge part that remained in the dark. He tried to put the puzzle together with the few pieces that he had. Someone had used the shrink to set a trap for Aria and the girls.

Ezra- "Wait... The thing you told the shrink that has something to do with your friend Alison?"

Aria looked at him through her eyes full of tears. She wanted more than anything to tell him the truth but she couldn't.

Ezra- "Do you know who did this?"

Ezra saw that the struggle she was having with herself was breaking her down. Her tears intensified as he looked at her. He hadn't talked sharply, but he had gone too far with his questions. He couldn't force her to talk, he knew that. Why had he done that? Ezra laid a kiss on her forehead, as she rested her head on his shoulder, letting her tears poured on his chest.

Ezra- "I'll protect you Aria. I promise. No one will hurt you."

He brought her even closer to him, leaving his lips pressed against her forehead. He wanted more than anything to keep her safe with him. No matter who was after her, he would do everything to protect her. No one could touch his Aria.

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><p>AN: I really wanna know what you think of this chap cause I had a hard time writing it. I wanted Aria to tell Ezra the story without saying too much because she can't talk about 'A'. I hope it makes sense the way I wrote it.

The next chapter wont be up till after Christmas but I promise a lot more Ezria in it and less sadness this time ;) (and it will be as long as this last one!)

I wish you all a great Christmas if you celebrate it and the only thing I want for Christmas is your reviews so you know what to do ;) XO


	6. Chapter 3: In Your Arms part 3

A/N: Thank you for all the sweet reviews!

Sorry for the wait, I had written almost half of this chapter when I realized that it sucked so I rewrote it. But I'm glad I did.

Anyway, this chapter is definetely the longest I've posted (but don't get used to it :p)

Disclaimer: I don't own PLL nor the Ezria :(

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: In Your Arms (part 3)<strong>

After this talk, Aria and Ezra stayed silent for a long time, just resting in each other's arms. They were slowly getting over everything that had been said. Aria felt better knowing that she had shared some of her secrets with Ezra. His words had reassured her. She now knew that she wouldn't be alone to face her problems. The silence that filled the room was broken by a loud beep resounding in the apartment. Aria lifted her head.

Aria- "That's mine."

She freed herself from Ezra's embrace and left the bed to go get her phone which was on the kitchen table. A shiver ran down her spine when she thought that she might have gotten a text from 'A'. She took the phone in her trembling hands and stared at it before taking a deep breath and turning it on. Aria had a sigh of relief when she saw that the text was from her mom, but she quickly felt a knot growing in her stomach when she read it.

_« Come home, we need to talk! »_

Her eyes stared at the screen. She hadn't really thought about her parents since last night. She had almost forgotten that they now knew about her relationship with Ezra and that they must be impatiently waiting for her to hear her explanations.

Ezra- "You okay? Who is it?"

Aria raised her eyes towards him. He had sat on the edge of the bed and was looking at her worriedly. She swallowed before answering.

Aria- "Yes, it's… it's my mom… She wants me to come home."

Ezra nodded slightly. This text harshly brought him back to reality. He had to face the revelations he had made the day before.

Ezra- "Oh yeah… I told them I'll bring you home in the afternoon."

He took a quick glance at the clock.

Ezra- "It's already 3pm. They must be worried."

They shared a look, both realizing that a big conversation was waiting for them once they would be at her house. Aria reread the text once again.

Aria- "I… I'll tell them that we'll be home in… an hour?"

She looked at Ezra to see if he agreed.

Ezra- "Okay."

Aria typed the answer on her phone and Ezra felt the pressure build inside of him. He thought he had done the hardest part last night by revealing his relationship with Aria, but it was now getting clear to him that what was waiting would be way more difficult. They would have to explain to her parents what had happened between them and tried to convince them that their couple had nothing wrong. Not to mention the fact that they could call the cops and the school to get him arrested and removed his license. He ran a hand on his face to try to calm down a little. His eyes fell on Aria who was hesitantly approaching him.

Aria- "So…what…what happened exactly last night?"

She had given him her explanation for last night and it was his turn to do so. She sat next to him on the bed and he started to stare at an imaginary point in the apartment, remembering what had happened.

Ezra- "When I arrived at the police station, your mom came to see me… She... she said that she knew why I was there…"

Ezra raised his eyes on Aria to see her reaction. She didn't seem surprised by what he had just said. He would have rather said that she looked slightly guilty. Did she already know about her mother's suspicion? Apparently she did. He decided to keep going.

Ezra- "I was sure that she was talking about you and me because she seemed pretty irritated and… disappointed in me…"

Aria stared down. She hated that her mom could feel that way about Ezra.

Ezra- "I don't blame her for it. I knew she would be."

She looked at him again seeing that he was trying to comfort her.

Aria- "But she shouldn't… you've done nothing wrong."

Ezra slightly smiled at her and took her hand in his.

Ezra- "She knows nothing about us… beside the fact that I dated my student and lied to her about it… and we both know that from the outside it looks wrong."

She hated to admit it to herself but it was the truth. When people heard about a student/teacher relationship they immediately thought that it was wrong… perverse. They didn't know about the love that could unite these two people, let-alone all the terrible ordeals they had to go through together. Aria hoped that once they would have talk to her parents they would understand that her relationship with Ezra wasn't wrong. Au contraire, it was the best thing that had happened to her.

Ezra- "I tried to explain to your mom… She didn't let me at first."

Aria couldn't help but think that it really sounded like her mom. She would rather make herself heard before letting the others a chance to give an explanation.

Ezra- "So when I got the chance I… I told her that I was in love with you."

A smile stretched on Aria's lips when she heard those words.

Aria- "You… you really said that to my mom?"

Ezra answered without leaving her eyes or breaking their hands' union.

Ezra- "I wanted her to know how I truly felt about you."

Aria's smile widened a little more and she pressed her lips on his. She couldn't believe he had done that.

Aria- "You're amazing."

Ezra smiled back at her at stared at her for a little while before continuing his story.

Ezra- "Well to be completely honest I said « I'm in love with her » and your mom… she basically told me to leave town because 'Spencer's parents' would come after me if I didn't."

Ezra expected her to be surprised but instead of that she slightly looked down.

Aria's heart tightened in her chest. She hated to know that her mom acting like that with Ezra. She didn't want to choose between her family and her soul mate. She just wanted all of them to get along, but it looked like it would be hard to convince her mother that Ezra was the man she needed. Ella had told him to leave town when she still didn't know that he was dating her daughter. The talk they would have later may well be eventful to say the least…

Aria came back to reality when she realized that Ezra was staring at her, probably wondering why she hadn't been surprised by his latest revelation.

Aria- "Yeah I… I wanted to talk to you about that…"

Ezra- "You knew she thought that I was dating Spencer?"

Aria- "Yes… she came to ask me if you two were involved."

Aria made a little grimace as she spoke, remembering how weird it had been when her mom had asked her this.

Ezra- "Why would she think that?"

Aria- "You remember the other day when Spencer came to talk to you about me?"

Ezra nodded.

Aria- "Well my mom saw you two in your car… and apparently she felt like it was pretty intimate."

Ezra- "Intimate? We were just talking."

Aria smiled at him.

Aria- "I know Ezra… But my mom…"

She became more serious when she realized that he wouldn't like what she was about to say.

Aria- "When you worked at Rosewood High… my mom had heard some rumors about you… dating a student."

Ezra gritted his teeth. He thought he had been careful enough with Aria so that there wouldn't have rumors like that about him, but apparently he hadn't… His colleagues, his students must have had a totally different opinion about him if they knew about these rumors. He thought he had left a pretty good memory of him at Rosewood High whether it was with the adults or the children, but this changed everything…

Aria- "My mom didn't believe those rumors."

She tried to reassure him when she saw his face tensed and she tenderly stroked the back of his hand with her thumb. He gave her a small smile to thank her.

Aria- "When she saw you with Spence... I don't know… Her mind mixed this with the rumors and somehow she ended up thinking you two were dating."

They let out a little laugh at the thought of how ridiculous this idea was.

Ezra- "Things make sense now… even if that's in a weird way."

Ezra looked at Aria once again.

Ezra- "To get back to last night… after I understood that your mom was talking about Spencer and not you, I tried to tell her that she had the wrong idea but she wouldn't believe me… So I told her that I wasn't there for Spencer, and she asked for whom I came… so… I said your name."

Another smile spread on Aria's face. Even if the idea of her mom knowing about her and Ezra was terrifying, she was happy to see that he had finally step up for their couple. She had imagined hundred of times how she could tell the news to her parents, but she never felt confident enough to actually do it, and last night it was Ezra who had had to take responsibility for it.

Ezra- "I'm not gonna lie, I was scared as hell when I said that but… I had to."

Aria- "Yeah, I get it…"

She couldn't stop smiling. Even if it wasn't the right time, the right place, to make this revelation, he hadn't hesitated and for that she would forever admire him.

Aria- "What… what did my mom said?"

Ezra- "Actually she hadn't had the time to react because you and the girls came into the room at that moment."

Aria stared deep into Ezra's eyes thinking of the moment she had seen him in the police station. It had really made her feel better to know that he had come for her. He had given her the strength to keep fighting and not break down despite what was happening to her. She had no idea that at the exact same moment he had just revealed their relationship to her mother.

Ezra- "When you went out the room your mom told me to leave. She was way more pissed than before. I tried to calm her down but I couldn't. She started to yell at me and your dad came to see what was going on... I didn't wanna make a scene with cops surrounding us, so I thought that it was better for me to leave at that moment."

Aria- "Yeah, it was for the best."

Aria stroked his hand to show that she didn't blame it for leaving.

Ezra- "But I wasn't gonna go home until I knew you were safe… So I waited in the car."

She smiled again and ran her fingers on his cheek before kissing him tenderly. She was so proud of what he had done for them. He had been alone to face her mother and even though she had forced him to leave the police station he had stayed to make sure she was okay.

Ezra- "Then you got out and… you know what happened."

Aria nodded slightly and stared down thinking about last night. She had completely left him alone to deal with this situation that was far from being simple.

Aria- "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have force you to talk to my parents alone last night… I should have come with you…"

Ezra put his hand on her chin and lifted her head to his.

Ezra- "Aria, you didn't force me to do anything… I did it because I wanted to take care of you and I'll do it again if I had to…"

A tear rolled down Aria's cheek while she heard him and Ezra quietly made it disappear with a kiss. For weeks she had thought that maybe he wasn't courageous enough to stand for their couple in front of her parents and last night he had proved her wrong. She blamed herself for doubting him like that. Of course Ezra was brave enough. After everything they had been through how could she have thought that? He had always been there for her even when they were going through a tough time.

Aria- "How… how did you convince my parents to let me leave with you?"

Ezra- "I'm not quite sure myself… I still can't believe they let me take you home."

Aria smiled slightly.

Ezra- "But hum… When I went to see them your mom still looked pissed and your dad confused… I guess Ella hadn't told him about us yet… I decided to speak first before they could jump on me or something."

He gave a little smile which she could hardly reply to. She knew he had said that to relax her but it still wasn't that far from what could have happened.

Ezra- "I told them that you were the most important thing right now, that your well-being was more important than how they felt about me… about us at the moment…"

Aria- "What did they say?"

Ezra- "Well, your dad was pretty surprised I guess because he didn't say a word. He stared at me the whole time."

Aria couldn't stop wondering what her father could have thought, learning that his daughter was dating her teacher, just like he had dated his student. Knowing that she had lied to him the whole time… She hoped that he would be able to understand, to forgive her for that.

Ezra- "Your mom was pretty much the same as him, if you add the fact that she looked really mad. She stayed silent until I said that you wanted to come home with me… Then she snapped and yelled at me, saying that I couldn't seriously think that they would let me do that."

Aria's heart tightened once again.

Ezra- "I stayed calm and told them that you needed me and I wasn't going to let you down. They could yell at me later but last night was about you, not them, not me, not us… you. So I said that I was going home with you to take care of you… because I love you."

Even if it was scary to think that Ella and Byron actually knew about them, knowing that Ezra had confessed his love for her to her parents twice last night only made Aria even more in love with him. He was exceptional.

Aria- "What did they say to that?"

Ezra- "Strangely, neither of them reacted."

Aria- "They didn't?"

Aria looked at him confused. She had expected him to say that her mom had yelled at him again and ordered him to leave town.

Ezra- "No… not a word."

Silence was definitely not a reaction she had expected coming from her parents.

Ezra- "I took that silence as a sign they were okay with you going with me and I left before they changed their mind."

Aria- "So they basically said nothing to you… about us?"

Ezra- "No."

Aria still had trouble understanding their reactions, or lack of reaction for that matter. Of course it wasn't the worst scenario but it was… unexpected considering that her parents weren't the kind of people who kept what they thought for themselves.

Ezra- "They were as exhausted as us… with the stress and everything… I'm not sure they really realize what was happening."

Aria thought that Ezra was probably right… Tiredness would definitely explain why they acted that way. She wasn't the only one who had had a rough day. Her parents had had to come pick her up at the police station only a few weeks after they had done the same thing with her brother, only this time it was way worse because she was accused of murder. Ella and Byron must have been really stressed out. Just like she hadn't had the strength to think about anything last night, her parents must have felt the same way.

Ezra- "We won't have the same luck today though. They're gonna be fully awake, and they've had time to think about everything that's happened."

Aria- "I know… It's gonna be a tough conversation."

Aria and Ezra shared a look before he pressed his lips on hers.

Ezra- "We'll make it through… together."

She ran her fingers on his cheeks and locked their mouth once again. His tongue quickly joined hers, starting one of their breath taking kisses. No matter what would happen at her house, Aria knew that she wouldn't be alone to confront her parents.

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><p>AN: Hope you liked it :) Review if you did (or if you didn't I'm open to any opinions)

The next chapter will be the confrontation with the Montgomery's

Hope you'll all have a great new year's eve! Party but be safe ;)

Oh and PLL is back in 3 days who's excited! :))

See you in 2012!


	7. Chapter 4: Us Against The World  part 1

**A/N: Hey! First of all I am sooooo sorry for this long might already now that if you read my one shots but my betareader couldn't find time to work on the chapter because of school and now she's sick. So I hope she'll get better soon. In the meantime I decided to post the first part but I warn you this hasn't been betaread so Im sorry if there is any mistakes.**

**Also thank you so so so much for the reviews you are so amazing and dont worry I wont stop this fic yet I have a lot to come ;)  
><strong>

**I had written all chapter 4 before PLL return (which was almost 2 weeks ago) because i didnt want to get spoiled by the real confrontation (which happens in all chapter 4!) and I didnt change anything after I watch the ep. But I was happy to see that some reactions that I wrote before 2x14 happened in the show :) **

**I'll post chapter 4 in 3 parts (the next 2 are very long BTW ;) )**

**Now i let you read it!  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I don't own PLL  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Us Against The World (part 1)<strong>

Less than an hour later, Ezra parked in front of the Montgomery's house. Aria stared at it through the window. In a few minutes she would cross the threshold of her home and would have to convince her parents that her relationship with Ezra wasn't wrong. The talk would definitely be difficult, but she hoped more than anything that at the end of it, Byron and Ella would have understand that Ezra and her truly loved each other or at least that they would let her see him. Aria knew that there was a possibility that they would keep her away from the man she loved, and if they would do that, she would hate them forever. Even if she didn't want to have to take this decision, she knew that if she had to make a choice between her family and Ezra, he would come first. She couldn't live without him… it wasn't an assumption, it was the reality. She tried several times to stay away from him but always ended up coming back.

Aria got pull out of her thoughts when Ezra's hand laid on her knee.

Ezra- "Are you okay?"

She looked away from the house to let her eyes fall on him, placing her hand on his at the same time.

Aria- "Yeah… I was just…"

She closed her eyes for a second to chase these thoughts that terrified her out of her mind. She couldn't go out of her depth now, she needed to be as strong as Ezra had been last night.

Aria- "I'm fine."

Ezra examined her for a moment before giving her a little smile. He felt her hand tightened on his. He could feel her nervousness.

Ezra- "No matter what happened today Aria, that will not change how I feel about you."

Aria smiled at him in return, liking that he tried to reassure her.

Aria- "I know… What they're gonna say won't change how I feel either."

Ezra leaned toward her and softly pressed his lips on hers before putting his forehead against hers, no letting her eyes out of sight.

Ezra- "I love you."

Aria- "I love you."

They kissed once again, letting their lips caress each other for several minutes before breaking away out of breath. They took a second to catch their breath without letting go of the other's eyes.

Ezra- "You ready?"

Aria stared at him.

Aria- "Yes… let's do this."

They smiled at each other one last time before leaving the car. Ezra quickly took Aria's hand in his as they walked up the path leading to the house. They climbed the stoop and exchange one last look. Tension had now invaded both of them, but they knew that together they would be stronger.

Aria- "That's it."

Ezra nodded slightly and released one last sigh before Aria opened the door of the house. They went in together and immediately Ella sprang up from the leaving room followed by Byron. They were obviously waiting for them and by the look on their faces they weren't doing it calmly. Ella's eyes fell on her daughter's and her « teacher 's » intertwined hands.

Ella- "Get your hands off my daughter!"

No wanting to piss Ella off more than she already was, Ezra made a move to spread his fingers from Aria's, but she, tightened her embrace around them.

Aria- "Mom!"

She stared at her, already feeling anger take hold of her when she saw her mother's reaction while they had just arrived. Aria wanted to have a conversation as calm as possible with her parents, but they seemed already ready to throw Ezra out without an explanation.

Ella glared at her daughter, surprised that she talked to her like that. Aria had definitely lost her mind. How could she defend this… pervert?

Ella- "I don't want him to touch you Aria!"

She was ready to answer to her mom when Ezra turned to her.

Ezra- "It's okay."

Aria stared deep into Ezra's eyes. She understood that he only wanted to defuse the situation and she let him move his hand away from hers. If her parents were going to be the unreasonable ones who yelled, then her and Ezra would have to be the responsible ones. They had to remain calm and not answer their attacks, even if it wouldn't be easy.

Mike- "What's going on here?"

Mike appeared in the staircase with a worried look across his face.

Mike- "I heard you scream mom, is everything okay?"

He walked down the last steps and turned to his mom, who kept staring at Ezra, watching his every moves. Faced with Ella's silence, Mike turned his gaze to her sister, suddenly realizing that she was in the room.

Mike- "Aria where were you last night? Mom and dad told me you got arrested?"

She opened her mouth to answer when her brother's eyes fell on Ezra. He seemed even more confuse by the situation.

Mike- "What is he doing here?"

Mike looked at his dad, then his mom before looking at his sister again, seeking for an answer. Aria took a deep breath.

Aria- "Mike… Ezra and I… were together."

Her brother's gaze went from Ezra to her, slowly realizing what she had just said. Suddenly Aria saw Mike raising his arm toward Ezra.

Aria- "Mike!"

Byron tried to stop his son but it was too late. Mike's fist hit Ezra's face, whom move back under the impact.

Aria- "Why did you do that?"

Aria glared at her brother before turning to her boyfriend who had put a hand on his mouth.

Aria- "Are you okay?"

Ezra nodded quietly, coming back to his senses after the shock, but Aria saw a trickle of blood flow between his fingers. She looked at her brother who was held by their father.

Aria- "What is wrong with you?"

Mike let out an angry sigh and freed himself from Byron's hold before leaving the house, slamming the door behind him. Aria put her hand on Ezra's arm and lead him towards the stairs.

Ella- "Where do you think you're going?"

Aria glared at her mother.

Aria- "I'm gonna treat him, unless you'd rather let him bleed!"

She dragged Ezra with her upstairs before her mother could add anything else. They went into the bathroom and Ezra sat on the edge of the bathtub while Aria took the first aid kit out. She put some disinfectant on a compress before turning to him. He had removed the hand that was on his mouth and she could now see the blood flowing on his lips.

Aria- "I'm so sorry Ezra… I don't know why Mike did that…"

She looked down and he immediately raised her head by putting a hand on her chin.

Ezra- "It's okay Aria… It's not your fault…"

He gave her a little smile. Even when he was the one who needed help, he always managed to take care of her. Aria smiled in return and placed herself between his legs before starting to disinfect his bloody lip.

Ezra- "Ouch…"

He grimaced at the piquant contact of the disinfectant. She gently patted the compress to wiped away the blood and she felt Ezra relaxing slightly. Mike had really gotten him, his lower lip was split. Aria let out a sigh when she saw what her brother had done to the man she loved.

Ezra- "Your brother probably did that thinking he was protecting you."

Their eyes locked once again.

Aria- "You're the last person he needs to protect me from."

Ezra- "He doesn't know that yet."

Aria sighed and looked down. She really hoped that this could be easier… That her parents and her brother would accept her relationship with Ezra… She didn't even **ask** them to be happy for her, just that they would let her live her life with him. Why was it so hard for them?

Ezra saw Aria's face becoming gloomy as she seemed lost in her thoughts once again. He put his hands on her waist to bring her closer to him and he saw her look fell on his bruised lip.

Ezra- "Hey… don't be mad at your brother. He only did that because he loves you."

She knew he was right but she couldn't help but blame herself for what Mike had done, plus Ezra was defending him even if he barely knew him. Her brother had better apologize to him once she would have explain the situation!

Her eyes met Ezra's and he softly stroked her lower back. She rested her forehead on his, liking the fact that for once she was taller than him.

Aria- "I hate it when you're right."

Ezra giggled before pressing his lips on hers.

Ezra- "Ready to go back?"

Aria- "Not really… but we can't escape this now."

He gave her a little smile and kissed her one last time. They couldn't hide forever and let her parents wait for them wasn't exactly the best solution to calm them. So Aria took Ezra's hand to help him getting up before they left the bathroom to get back downstairs.

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><p><strong>AN: Oh oh! Bad Mike! Ah ah! I gotta say I wrote this based on the preview/spoilers we had before 2x14 and I like Mike like that, but I LOVE the reason why he did it on the show. Mike gotta be the best brother ever! **

**Anyway I really hope you like this 'introduction' to the confrontation! There will be a lot happening in this chapter I promise! Tension will rose in the next part! **

**Leave me a little review and i'll post as fast as I can ;) Actually since it's already written how about I post when this chapter get 15 reviews? Deal? ;)**

**It's up to you now! **

**Love you readers/reviewers XO  
><strong>

**PS: This chapter is named "Us Against The World" from Coldplay's song ;)**


	8. Chapter 4: Us Against The World part 2

**A/N:**** Thank you so much for your reviews! You are amazing!**

**I wanted to wait until tonight to post, but after last night ep I think we all need a little Ezria.  
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**I really enjoyed writing this next part so I hope you'll have as much fun to read it ;)  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own PLL**** (if I did we will already have next week ep!)****  
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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Us Against The World (part 2)<strong>

When they arrived downstairs, Aria and Ezra saw Byron and Ella chatting, or actually arguing, in the living room. As soon as they saw them her parents stopped and turned to look at them, both with a tense face. They joined them in the living room and Aria opened her mouth to start talking but her dad cut her off.

Byron- "Since when had this been going on?"

Byron stared at her intensely while waiting for an answer. When Ezra had talked to them last night, he had first thought that his daughter and him had only started dating for a few weeks, since he was at Hollis, but Ella had just reminded him of the rumors that were going on about Mr. Fitz when he was at Rosewood High and Byron needed to know the truth.

Aria- "We… we met the day before school started."

He opened his mouth, chocked by what his daughter had just said. He could have maybe been a little more understanding if Ezra and her had only started to date each other after he had left Rosewood High, but knowing now that it happened WHILE he was her teacher, Byron couldn't see how he could ever approve of this relationship.

Ella- "It's been 3 months?"

Aria looked at her mom whose eyes were wide open.

Aria- "We've been on and off a few times… but yes."

Ella shake her head from left to right, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Ella-"And you've lied to us about this the all-time?"

Ezra saw Aria look-down in front of her mother's attacks.

Ezra- "We wan…"

Byron- "YOU don't get to talk after what you did!"

Byron had pointed his finger towards him and Ezra was surprised by the rage that reflected in his eyes.

Aria- "Dad! He ju…"

Byron- "I don't care about what he has to say!"

Aria had tried to stay as calm as possible until now, but in front of her parents' attitude she couldn't contain herself anymore.

Aria- "We came here to talk to you! If you don't want to hear him then we're not staying!"

Byron- "Oh you're not going anywhere with him Aria!"

Aria- "You can't stop me!"

Ella- "Actually we can! We are your parents!"

Aria- "You certainly don't act like them!"

The pressure had definitely rose between the three Montgomery and Ezra saw that the situation was starting to get out of hand. He placed himself between Aria and her parents, who were about to respond to her.

Ezra- "Look, maybe we could all try to relax for a second."

His look went to Ella, Byron and then Aria.

Ezra- "This… this isn't going anywhere and it won't help anyone."

He knew that he had taken a risk by making a stand like that, knowing that the Montgomery's wouldn't like to receive any kind of advice from him right now, but he couldn't let this fight go further.

Aria's face relaxed a little, relieved that Ezra had done that. Her mother went to sat on the couch, sighing.

Ella- "He's right."

Byron put his hands on his hips and clenched his teeth. He was still mad and definitely didn't appreciate that Ezra acted like that in HIS house. He was about to say something but his daughter came to see him, obviously a lot more calm than a few minutes ago.

Aria- "Dad I don't wanna fight with you and mom… I know that it's a lot to take in and you don't approve of this relationship but at least let us explain… You can say whatever you want after… Just give us a chance to talk."

Byron sighed heavily before running a hand on his face.

Byron- "Fine… but don't think that we will change our mind after your 'explanations'."

His father wasn't as calm as ordinary but Aria had to content herself with that for now. He sat next to her mom and the young couple went to stand in front of them. Aria and Ezra shared a look to give each other some courage before putting their eyes back on her parents. They could still feel the tension in the air, but they couldn't wait for it to disappear.

Aria- "I wanted to tell you for a while now… but the right time never came."

Byron- "The right time? There's no right time to say that Aria! You shouldn't have to say that at all! It's wrong Aria! It shouldn't have even happened!"

Aria- "It happened okay dad? And it's not 'wrong'."

How could her daughter think that? Ezra had definitely brainwashed her!

Byron- "What's happening to you Aria? I don't even recognize you!"

She was ready to retort when Ezra put his hand on her arm.

Ezra- "Aria…"

She looked up at him and softened up in front of his look.

Ezra- "May I…"

She acquiesced, understanding that he wanted to talk and try to reason with her dad. Ezra turned his eyes back to Ella and Byron with a serious look on his face.

Ezra- "I wanted to clarify something. WE wanted to tell you something important… I'm in love with your daughter. I love Aria."

Ella had tried to subdue her anger but Ezra's last words woke her up. Last night she hadn't been able to react to his words, because she was too exhausted, but now that her mind was clear, she wasn't going to let him go that easily. She couldn't understand how he could be say that so calmly… like if it was normal!

Ella- "She is sixteen!"

A 22 years old man couldn't reasonably be in love with a teenager! Love between an adult and a 16 years old girl was impossible… it could only be wrong and pervert!

Aria- "It doesn't mean that he can't love me or that I can't love him."

Byron- "You're SIXTEEN! You're just a kid you don't know anything about love!"

Aria couldn't believe what her parents were saying. How could they think that?

Aria- "Age doesn't matter."

Ella- "Of course it does!"

Byron looked to Ezra.

Byron- "Is that what you told her so you could take advantage of her?"

He opened his mouth chocked by Aria's father insinuation, but quickly collected his wits to explain himself.

Ezra- "It's not like that… I know what it looks like from the outside but trust me I wouldn't force Aria to do anything."

Ella- "Trust you? How can you ask us that? WE trusted you! We let you in our house, we treated you like a friend and… all this time you were lying and using our daughter!"

Byron- "You betrayed us Ezra! We thought you were a good man and… it turns out you're just some perv!"

Aria- "Ok you two stop! Now!"

Aria couldn't stand to see her parents attacked her boyfriend like that. They were leveling accusations at him without trying to understand what he was saying.

Aria- "Ezra isn't a pervert! He didn't take advantage of me or use his power over me okay? I'm not with him because he forces me to!"

She stopped a second to calm herself down before starting talking again with a more controlled tone, her eyes locked on her parents.

Aria- "I'm with him because… because I've never felt so good with anyone else in my entire life. I always felt like an outsider and that changed the day I met him. Now I finally now where I belong… He's the only one who really understand me, who knows what to say when I don't feel good, what to do to make me smile… He's always been there for me when I needed him. He supports me and helps me when I got a problem…"

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she spoke, but she didn't stop.

Aria- "Hell he came to the police station for me last night even if he knew that you would be there... So don't say that he's a pervert! Or that he doesn't love me! And DON'T say that I don't know what love is because I do!… And nothing that you could say or do will change how I feel about him… I will always love Ezra."

Aria let the tears run down her face while all the eyes of the room were on her.

Ezra was surprised by the declaration she had just done. Of course he knew how she felt about him but to hear her say it out loud and moreover to her parents, made it even more moving. He felt the same about her and he was now more than certain that she was the woman of his life.

Ella didn't know what to say after her daughter's speech. She had never seen her like that. She felt like all the words she had said came straight from her heart. She wasn't telling them lies because she wanted to keep seeing her 'teacher'. Aria had just opened her heart to them, everything she had said was the truth no matter what she and her husband could think. Ella wished she could tell her daughter that now everything was going to be okay and that she approved of her relationship with Ezra… but he was still her former teacher and she was still a minor. Even if they loved each other this relationship was illegal, not to mention the fact that they had lied to them for months.

Aria wiped away the last tears that were on her face, waiting for a reaction from her parents. It seemed like her mother was about to talk when her dad spoke.

Byron- "That doesn't change anything."

She let out a sigh

Aria- "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

Byron- "I did Aria… but you shouldn't have gotten involve in the first place. A teacher doesn't date a student… especially if she is a minor."

His tone had hardened and Byron was now staring at Ezra.

Ezra- "We didn't plan for this to happened."

Byron- "I certainly hope so!"

Aria- "Dad, it's not… When we met we didn't know that he would be my teacher."

Ezra- "And I didn't know that she was a minor either."

Aria looked at Ezra to make him understand that it wouldn't help her if her parents knew that she had lied about her age when they had met. He whispered to her when he saw her look.

Ezra- "We're here to tell the truth."

She fixed him for a second before giving him a little smile as a sign of acceptance.

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><p><strong>AN: Will they really tell ALL the truth? Will Byron calm down and Ella approve their couple? You'll have to wait for the last part of the chapter!**

**Like usual a little review always bright up my world and I wanna know what you think of Byron's and Ella's reactions, and of course the Ezria ones :)**

**Next update thursday or friday if you're up for it ;)**

**But I'll post a one shot for the last ep tomorrow ;) (Going to work on it right now!)**

**XOXO**


	9. Chapter 4: Us Against The World part 3

**A/N: Thank you everyone for all the reviews as usual you're amazing! And I love all of you who read my fic, they're has been over 5500 hits on his story it's just incredible!**

**CheyeM1287****: ****thank you so much for your comment it really made my day when I read it! You should ask Marlene if she wants to hire me :p**

**Notinyourlifetimehoney****:****Thank you! I know my version has more yelling, I feel like it could have happened like that on the show**** (and i'm definetely not done with that on my fic! ;))**

**Now I let you read this looooong chap ;)  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own PLL  
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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Us Against The World (part 3)<strong>

_Aria- "When we met we didn__'__t know that he would be my teacher."_

_Ezra- "And I didn__'__t know that she was a minor either."_

_Aria looked at Ezra to make him understand that it wouldn't help her if her parents knew that she had lied about her age when they had met. He whispered to her when he saw her look._

_Ezra- "We__'__re here to tell the truth."_

She fixed him for a second before giving him a little smile as a sign of acceptance and Ella broke her moment of intimacy.

Ella- "So where did you meet, if it wasn't at school?"

Aria- "We met in…"

Aria hesitated for a second and Ezra decided to finish the sentence for her.

Ezra- "We met in a restaurant."

He slightly turned towards Aria and saw her acquiesce at her parents to confirm what he had said. He did wanted to tell her parents the truth, but confessing that they had met in a bar while they were both drinking alcohol and had then ended up making out on the bathroom counter, wouldn't help them to convince Byron and Ella that their relationship was healthy.

Aria- "We started chatting and found out that we had a lot of things in common, like writing, travel… music."

Aria couldn't stop smiling as she spoke, remembering their meeting.

Ezra- "We talked for what felt like hours and there was just this connection between us… I've never felt like that before and I wasn't quit sure what it was at the moment, but I just… I wanted to know everything about her."

Ezra shared a little smile with Aria.

Ella- "So what you talked and the next day you saw each other at school?"

Aria- "Well, we kissed before we left each other… and then the next day, when I went to class we discovered that he was my teacher and I, his student."

She remembered how chocked she was when her look had fell on her 'teacher's' blue eyes in class. She had thought that she was dreaming, or actually having a nightmare, when it had happened.

Ella- "Wait, so… when I met you Ezra, you two were seeing each other?"

Ella recalled the day her daughter had introduced her to 'Mr. Fitz' in front of the movie theater. Now that she knew what had happened between them, she was starting to question every moment Ezra and Aria had been together and every time they had talked about each other. She felt like everything was just a lie.

Ezra- "No… not at that moment…When we realized what the situation was between us, we decided to break it off."

Aria- "I even asked to be transfer out of his class so we wouldn't have to see each other… but it got declined."

Ella- "You should have come to me Aria. I could have call the school to have you transferred."

Aria- "What would I have said to you? That I wanted to change classes because I kissed my English teacher before school started and couldn't stop thinking about him?"

Byron- "We could have helped you."

Her father's voice had softened up but Aria could still feel his anger behind it.

Aria- "You would have gotten Ezra into trouble… and I couldn't let that happen. It wasn't his fault that he was my teacher."

There was a silence but then Byron spoke again.

Byron- "So what? Your request got declined and you decided that somehow it was a 'sign' for you to be together?"

Ezra- "No… we stayed away from each other for about a week."

Byron- "A week? Why didn't you kept doing that?"

Ezra- "I wanted to… I tried my hardest not to think about her, or feel anything for her… but I couldn't. Everytime I saw her, I wanted to talk to her and be with her… and everytime I kept reminding myself that I couldn't…"

Aria- "These days that I spend away from him were the hardest I lived. I don't know how to explain it to you… it was just unbearable."

Byron- "Aren't you overreacting Aria?"

Aria- "Trust me dad, I wish I was, but it's the truth… Everyday I saw him and it just crushed my heart knowing that I couldn't be with him. I couldn't get him out of my mind, no matter how hard I tried and it was even worst when we were in the same room."

Aria laid eyes on her mother once again.

Aria- "That day at the movie theater… that was the worst time of all."

Byron- "What happened at the movie theater?"

Ella- "We ran into Ezra, or Mr. Fitz at that moment, before the movie and once we were inside I invited him to come with us… and they sat next to each other."

Ella was seeing the scene in her mind.

El- "You two definitely acted weird that day… I assumed it was because he was your teacher and she was your student but now…"

She noticed that indeed the situation had been weirder than what it should have been at the time.

Ezra- "I was… I was really tensed during that movie."

Aria- "Yeah, me too… It was awkward to be sitting between you and Ezra when the only thing I had in mind for the last few days was him."

Ella- "How could I have not seen that?"

It was more a question for herself than the rest of the person in the room, but her husband replied to it anyway.

Byron- "Because no one can reasonably think that a teacher would date his student."

Byron glared again at Ezra, who took it without a word. It was clear that Aria's father held him responsible for what had happened between him and his daughter and that his attacks wouldn't stop right now, so Ezra preferred not to say anything rather than to make matters worse by answering. He had promised himself to stay calm during their talk and he wasn't going to break this promise, especially since he know knew that the three Montgomery won't really good on this side.

Ella- "What happen next? Because I don't recall you two talking to each other during the movie and Ezra, you left in a hurry after the end."

Aria- "We… we ran into each other again later that day… That's when we realized that we couldn't hold back our feelings anymore."

Ezra- "It was too hard on both of us. We couldn't stay away anymore."

Byron- "You COULDN'T? Ezra you're supposed to be the adult, the responsible one. If a sixteen years old come to see you because she has a crush on you, you turn her down, you don't encourage her and start seeing her! That's crazy!… Not only for you, but for her too!"

Ezra- "You're right, it was crazy to do that… and I thought the same things as you for days… weeks even. There was a lot of questions running in my mind and I kept asking myself how I could considered dating one of my student. I even left Aria and get out of town to try to figure out what to do. I convinced myself that she would be happier with a boy her age but…"

Byron- "But what? If you thought that and had done the right thing then why would you change your mind?"

Ezra- "Because what I did hurt her and… I couldn't denied that all these doubts and questions went away everytime I looked at her… because I didn't see a student or a sixteen year old girl… I saw Aria, this amazing, smart, funny and beautiful woman who made my heart race everytime she walked in the room. The one that send a chill down my spine when she looked at me… and I just knew that I had to be with her… even if it meant that I risked my career and my freedom if we get caught… I will never have stronger feelings towards anyone else in my life."

Byron had listened to Ezra with attention, but even if he didn't thought that he was lying to them, Aria's father couldn't help but think that Ezra was only looking for excuses to explain the fact that him, a 22 years old teacher was dating his 16 years old student, which was none other but his daughter. No matter what he said, what THEY said, Byron could never approve this.

Byron- "I think it's time for you go."

The three other persons in the room turned their look to him, surprised by his announcement. Ezra had just opened his heart and reveal his feelings for Aria, and Byron kicked him out.

Aria- "Dad…"

Byron- "You've both done your explanations… You asked us to listen to you and we did, so now he can leave."

Aria had trouble understanding her father's reaction. Ezra and her had indeed explained what had happened between them, but she had thought that her parents would gave them their opinion before her boyfriend leave.

Byron- "You didn't thought that we would invite him for dinner I hope."

The anger was back in his voice… and his eyes.

Aria- "No… I just… I thought you would want to talk to us before he left."

Byron- "If I need to say something, I will talk to you Aria."

Byron got up from the couch and walk to Ezra.

Byron- "I believe you know where the door is."

He stared at him angrily and for a second, Ezra believe that he was going to hit him, but he finally let go of his eyes and head towards the kitchen. Aria was going to shout at him but Ezra stopped her.

Ezra- "It's okay Aria."

Aria- "He can't just kick you out like that."

Ezra- "We've said what he had to, now we need to leave them some time to process everything."

Aria nodded in agreement knowing that he was right once again. He walked to the door and opened it. She was ready to follow him outside when her father's voice stopped her.

Byron- "Where are you going?"

She turned to look at him, exasperate that he wouldn't leave her one moment of respite.

Aria- "I'm walking Ezra to his car."

Byron- "I think he will find his way on his own."

Aria saw Ezra's eyes silently asking her not to respond to her father. She clenched her teeth to contain her anger and saw Ezra lay his eyes on her parents, who had now joined them in the hall.

Ezra- "Thank you for listening to us. I know it was hard for you, so thank you. I hope we'll see each other again under better circumstances."

Ezra thought he saw a little smile on Ella's lips but it disappeared the next second.

Ezra- "Goodbye Byron, Ella."

He give them a small nod to say goodbye, but only her responded. Ezra then looked at Aria, a smile immediately appearing on his face as he did so.

Ezra- "Bye."

She gave him a sad smile.

Aria- "Bye."

Aria would have wanted more than anything to lean and kiss him before he leave, but she knew that her father wouldn't like that and she didn't want to upset him more than he already was, even if she thought that his attitude was excessive. She put her head on the door frame as she watched Ezra walk down the stoop, slowly getting further and further from her. Nevertheless he turned to her when he reached the last step, giving her one his wonderful smile. He uttered an « I love you » to her and she couldn't help but smile before giving him a silent « I love you » in return. They smiled to each other one last time and he then walked to his car. Aria waited until he got in it before closing the door of the house. As soon as she did she saw her father come closer to her and apparently he hadn't calm down at all.

Byron- "You will never see this perv again!"

Aria had never seen him this determined, but she, had never been this irritated either. She had repressed her anger when Ezra was still here, but she couldn't hold it anymore. Her father acted like if he hadn't listen to one thing they had said. After everything they had told them how could he not understand? Or a least take a second to try to understand? He still called Ezra a pervert even though he had confessed all his feelings for his daughter to him. Aria felt like all these words meant nothing to her dad. There were no point in doing all the efforts they had made today to try to explain it to him!

Aria- "Would you stop calling him like that? Ezra isn't a pervert!"

Byron- "I'm sorry but that's how I call guys who slept with their sixteen years old student! He's lucky I haven't called the cops yet!"

Tears escaped her eyes when she heard her father's threat.

Aria- "If you do that I will never spoke to you again!"

Byron- "Considering everything you hide that wouldn't make a big difference!"

Aria couldn't believe her father. How could he act like that towards her? Towards Ezra?

Aria- "Well maybe if you hadn't cheated on mom and asked me to keep your secret I wouldn't have learnt how to lie!"

Byron- "Oh don't try to change the conversation Aria! THIS is about you doing the stupidest thing in your life!"

Aria- "Well like father, like daughter!"

Aria and Byron stared at each other angrily. Ella then saw her husband starting to raise his hand to Aria.

Ella- "BYRON!"

He immediately put down his hand before going further but he kept his eyes locked on Aria. She wiped the tears rolling down her face but new ones came to replace them. Her anger had cooled down but soon sadness took its place.

Aria- "I actually thought that you out of everyone else would understand me dad… but I guess I was wrong."

Aria headed towards the stairs but she turned around one last time.

Aria- "And for your information, Ezra and I never had sex."

She walked upstairs on these last words and went straight to her room, collapsing on her bed to cry her heart out.

Downstairs, Ella was still surprised by what her daughter had just said.

Ella- "That changes things."

Byron gave his wife an astounded look.

Byron- "What? You don't actually believe her, do you?"

Ella- "Why would she lie?"

Ella couldn't why she would do that, after all, everything her daughter had told her today was the truth. Aria had confessed her feelings for Ezra and told them everything that had happened between them. Even though she had felt like she didn't know her daughter when she had first learnt about her relationship with her teacher, Ella now felt like she had recognize her today. She thought that she knew her well enough to know when she was lying or not, and her instinct was telling her that it was the truth… but then again, this one hadn't been quite good these past few months apparently.

Byron- "Why would she… You can't be serious Ella! Of course she is lying. The only thing she want is to be with this guy. She's not gonna tell us that she's sleeping with him if she wants us to let her see him again! And THAT will never happen! If I hear that they even talk to each other, I'll call the police and have him expelled from Hollis!"

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><p><strong>AN: I should see some fan club of Byron after this one no? :p There was a little less Ella in this part but she will be more present soon ;) Should I say what I want now, I think you know it starts with 'rev' and end with 'iews' :))**

**Like I said before I had written chapter 4 before the return of the show, but for the continuation I will use almost all Aria and Ezra scenes from the show, rewriting them to match the fic ofc and I'll definetely add some other ones ;)**

** How about a little spoiler for the chapter 5 (2 parts) since I posted a little late. Aria will have a talk with two persons: one with one of her friends, the other with a family member, can you guess who?**

**Last thing, I know I said I would post my one shot for 2x16 this week but I got a little carried away while writing it, and it is very long (and when I say 'long' I mean loooooooooong but it's Ezria and nothing hurt!). I'm still working on the translation, hopefully I'll be done tonight, if not tomorrow, and I'll post it as soon as I'm done!**

**Thank you again for reading my story and a review always motivate me to write faster ;)**

**3 XOXO**

**PS: Only 1 day until our epic Ezria kiss in the rain!**


	10. Chapter 5: You've Got A Friend part 1

**A/N:**** Thanks for the review you really are amazing!**

**Notinyourlifetimehoney: Ella is more receptive to Aria in this fic, and I feel like she is on the show too, even if it's less than in this story! And there might be a long talk between the mother and daughter planned later in the fic... but don't tell anyone! :)**

**KatyForYou: You've had had some reading to do I see! Really glad you like the story and touch that you think it's the best continuation, I'll do my best to keep it that way ;)**

**Ok now i let you read, this chapter is a lot shorter than the last one but I'll write more on the next one ;)**

**Disclaimer: Nop, it hasn't change PLL still isn't mine!  
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><p><strong>Chapter 5: You've Got A Friend (part 1)<strong>

Aria's tears hadn't stopped since she had come up to her room. Her bed was wet because of her sobs but she didn't care. She couldn't get her father's words out of her head.

_« It's wrong Aria! »_

_« You're just a kid you don't know anything about love! »_

_« You will never see this perv again! »_

_« He's lucky I haven't called the cop yet! »_

Other tears came streaming down her face when she remembered the moment he had raised his hand on her. He would've without any doubt slap her if her mom hadn't stopped him. How can he do this to her, his daughter? Aria understood that he was disappointed by her, but she never would have thought that he would be that angry at her… at Ezra. Like she had told him, Aria thought he would have understood her better than anyone else. After all, Byron had also been involved in a student/teacher relationship no so long ago. He had gave in to his attraction for Meredith even if he was her teacher and was married, so why couldn't he understand what was happening between her and Ezra? It wasn't so different after all, especially as they weren't cheating on anyone! Her father had gotten involved with his student despite the proscription, just like her and Ezra, so WHY didn't he understand?

Aria sniffed loudly and decided to leave her bed to get a tissue on her desk. While she was wiping her face as best as she could, her eyes laid on the poetry book with Ezra's poem. She quickly turned the pages, stopping when 'B-26' appeared in front of her. She slowly ran her fingers along the printed paper, reading for the umpteenth times his loving words. Tears started to run down her face again when she thought that she might never see him again if her father carried out his threats. She would never be able to run her hands through his dark hair, get lost into his beautiful blue eyes, intertwine her fingers with his, lay her head on his chest to hear his heartbeats, kiss his soft lips… A knot formed in her stomach. She really needed Ezra in her life. Her parents couldn't prevent her from seeing him, it was impossible… She wouldn't survive without him…

Aria would have giving everything to be in his arms right now. She knew that he would have found the right words to reassure her, he always did. He had been so brave today in front of her parents. He had managed to keep calm even when the situation was close to get out of control… a dozen times. She admired him for that. Without him the discussion would have been way worse, there might not even have had a discussion! Oh how she needed him right now…

Aria headed towards her bed again, Ezra's poem against her to keep some kind of contact with him, when her cellphone started ringing. She first thought about letting it rang, she didn't want to talk to anybody at this moment, but then she realized that it might have been Ezra calling her and she practically threw herself on her phone which was on her desk.

Aria- "Ezra?"

Her voice was filled with hope, even if it remained tremulous because of her crying.

Spencer- No it's me, Spencer…

She had a lump in her throat when she realized it wasn't him.

Spencer- "Are you okay Aria?"

She could hear her concern in her voice.

Aria- "I… I…"

The words stayed block in the back of her throat, she couldn't talk.

Spencer- "Aria what's going on?… You know you can talk to me."

A tear rolled down Aria's cheek. She would have preferred to have Ezra on the other end of the line, but she was still grateful that it was Spencer. Her friends had now all accepted her relationship with Ezra, but Spencer had always been the most supportive of them. She could certainly reassure her if she told her what had happened.

Aria- "Ezra… Ezra and I… talked to my parents… We… told them about us…"

Spencer- "Oh my god!… What happened? What did your parents say?"

Aria could her that she really was worried about her and it somehow made her feel a little better. She knew she could talk to her friend.

Aria- "We… We tried as best as we could to explain to them how we really felt about each other… and how everything happened between us…. They listened to us, but then… my dad kicked Ezra out. He said that I will never see him again… that he will call the cops…"

Aria's sob started again.

Aria- "I can't lose him Spence…"

Spencer- "I know Aria… That won't happen… You just have to give some time to your parents. I'm sure they'll understand that you truly love each other."

Aria- "I don't know… They're pretty upset… especially my dad… he almost hit me."

Spencer- "He what?"

Aria- "We… we were arguing after Ezra left and… he raised his hand… but my mom stopped him."

Spenser- "Thank god."

Aria- "It's not all… Mike… Mike punched Ezra…"

Spencer- "Your brother?"

Aria- "Yes… I told him about me and Ezra and he… he just punched him in the face and stormed off…"

Spencer- "He probably did that on impulse. You should talk to him later, explain him the truth. He'll understand."

Aria- "Maybe, I don't know…"

She cried again thinking of her family's reaction towards her relationship.

Aria- "All my family hates me and Ezra… They will never let us be together…"

Spencer- "Hey don't say that Aria… They all love you, they will understand eventually. Give them time… And you know that no matter what, you have me and the girls. We'll always be there for you… and for Ezra."

Aria- "Thanks Spence."

Aria was truly touched by her friend's words. It was because they knew each other so well, that Spencer always found the right words to comfort her.

Spencer- Do you want me to come over?

Aria- "I… I don't think that's a good idea. My parents are still talking downstairs and Mike… I don't even know where he is… Plus I'm pretty sure they won't let you in if you come."

Spencer- "I could climb the tree in front of your room."

Aria giggled. It had been years since anyone had climbed that tree… since Alison's disappearance actually. Back then, the girls used to escape from the window during their 'sleepover' to go see concerts her parents had forbidden them to go, or else to spend the evening in bars. Ali often dragged them there at a certain period, telling them that it was the place to meet 'real' men. Aria had always doubted Alison's words, well until the day she had met Ezra…

Aria- "Thanks Spence but… I think I need to spend the night alone. I gotta sort my ideas out after today."

Spencer- "Okay… but if you change your mind, text me."

Aria- "Sure… thank you for talking to me. It really helped."

Spencer- "Anytime."

Aria- "I'll see tomorrow at school."

Spencer- "Yes, bye Aria."

Aria- "Bye."

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><p><strong>AN: As you might have understand I'm big fan of Sparia (as friends ofc) and there will be more of them in this fic!**

**I hope you enjoyed this little talk between friends, as usual let me know what you think :)**

**I had written a first version of this moment where Aria was completely freaking out but it wasn't too realistic for this fic. However I could post this AU version separately if you're interested?**

**I'll probably update thursday or friday, depending on how fast I'll write my one shot for 2x17 (BTW I don't remember who asked but yes I am doing a one shot for this ep and all the ones that will follow ;))**

**The title of this chapter is 'You've got a friend', song originally by Carole King and covered by almost everyone, the most famous being Michael Jackson!**

**Thanks again for reading my story and I'll see you soon**

**PS: If you're watching SAB tonight, there will be a song by Nick Howard called 'Falling For You' in it. So if you like it go buy his music on iTunes his songs are beautiful and tweet him, he's really the nicest guy in the world! Sorry Im just totally freaking out cause I love this man and this song and this show! This is just amazing! **


	11. Chapter 5: You've Got A Friend part 2

**A/N:**** Thanks for your review on the fic and also for those on the one shot!**

**Martinique: Thank you for your comment I'm glad you like the story and the parents' reaction were as you thought ;) Byron is not done over-eacting and hating on Ezria :p **

**Notinyourlifetimehoney: There will be a bit of Ella/Aria in the next chap, but the big talk will be in chap 7 ;)**

**HarrylovesGinny09: I saw that you were the one who asked me about a one shot for 2x17, so yes I'm working on that. Kinda having a hard time with it, but hopefully my inspiration will be back this weekend!  
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**This chapter is longer than the last one like I promise and a little sad too.  
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**Disclaimer: Pretty Little Liars is not mine  
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><p><strong>Chapter 5: You've Got A Friend (part 2)<strong>

Aria was still in her bedroom, her earphones stuck in her ears so it would drown out her parents' talk in the leaving room. After her phone call with Spencer, she had tried to listen to them, but it quickly turned out that they were blaming all on Ezra. She couldn't bear to hear them say those horrible things about him, so she had rather preferred to take her iPod and blast out music to try and forget what was going on downstairs. It hadn't really helped because she was now stuck with her own thoughts…

Aria couldn't stop wondering what was going to happen to her and Ezra now. They, without any doubt, wanted to stay together but unfortunately her parents didn't have the same opinion… at least for now. All she could do was waiting, just like Ezra and Spencer had told her. After all she had also taken some time before understanding what was really happening between her and her teacher, moreover she still sometimes wondered how it was possible… but in the end the only thing that mattered was that Ezra and her loved each other… With a little luck, her parents would understand that too and let them be together.

Aria saw a shadow passing in front of her door, before hearing the loud sound of a door slamming, despite the earphones she had on. It could only be Mike. Apparently he had finally decided to come home. It was already 9 pm, after all he wasn't going to spend the night out. Aria let out a sigh; she really had no idea about what was happening with her little brother. He had broken into houses and then he had had a big period of depression, but since last week things were getting better. Her brother and her had talked to their parents about his problems and he had agreed to go see a shrink. He seemed to be better but after she had seen his reaction when she had told him about her relationship with Ezra, Aria was scared that he would relapse. Even if she was still bearing a little grudge against him for hitting her boyfriend, she didn't want to see her brother go back to his zombie state. It was her role to look after him.

Arias took off her earphones and left her bed before going to knock on her brother's door.

Mike- "Yeah?"

She came into the room and saw Mike sitting on his bed, playing on his phone.

Aria- "Hey… can I talk to you?"

He looked at her while sighing.

Mike- "You're gonna do it even if I say no, right?"

Aria gave him a little smile and closed the door before sitting next to him on the bed. Mike turned his attention back to his phone while she stayed quite for a few minutes, no really knowing how to tackle the subject.

Aria- "I… I… Have you eaten anything tonight?"

Mike raised an eyebrow at his sister.

Mike- "You came to know if I ate?"

She giggled and tried to focus on what she really wanted to talk to with her brother.

Aria- "No, not really… I…"

She laid a hand on Mike's arm.

Aria- "How are you?"

He looked back at the screen of his phone.

Mike- "Great… Couldn't be better."

Aria- "Mike..."

He sighed heavily and dropped his phone on the bed.

Mike- "What do you want me to say? You're dating our English teacher, mom and dad are arguing… It sucks that's all."

Aria looked down to stare at her hands. She knew how hard it had been for him when their parents were tearing each other apart.

Aria- "I'm sorry… about mom and dad… "

She laid her eyes back on Mike.

Aria- "But this isn't like the last time. They're not gonna get separated again… it's only about me and Ezra."

As soon as she said his name, Aria saw a glint of anger appeared in her brother's eyes.

Mike- "What's happening with this guy? Is he forcing you to do things with him? Because I will hit him again if I have to!"

Aria- "No Mike, it's not like that at all."

He gave her a confused look.

Mike- "So what is it like? Because I can't think of a lot of reasons why a teacher would hook up with his student, and they're all twisted and…"

Aria interrupted him, not wanting to hear his theories.

Aria- "How about he's in love with me?"

His eyes widen when he heard his sister's words.

Mike- "Is that what he told you? I thought you were smarter tha…"

Aria- "Mike would you please listen to me for a sec and stop imagining the worse!"

He was surprised by Aria's tone. Of course he was used to her giving him orders because he was younger than her, but this time she looked a lot more serious.

Aria- "I… I'm gonna tell you everything about Ezra and I, but you have to promise that you won't interrupt or make snarky comments… because I can deal with mom and dad being mad at me and not understanding this… but you're my little brother, I need you to know that I'm not lying and that what's happening between me and Ezra is real… I can't have the all family hating me."

A few tears rolled down her face and Mike immediately felt guilty to see his sister like that. It was obviously an important matter for her and he didn't want her to think that he didn't care about her feelings. Aria had always been here for him when he was going through hard times, even when he refused her help. He had trouble understanding what was happening between Mr. Fitz and her, but he couldn't let her down.

Mike put his arm around her shoulder, bringing her against him, before wiping away her tears.

Mike- "I promise you I won't say anything until you're done… And just so you know, I could never hate you. You're my little big sister, I will always love you."

They shared a smile and Aria took a minute to pull herself together before starting to talk.

Aria- "So…The first thing you need to know is that Ezra and I met the day before school…"

She told him about their meeting in the bar, then when the next day, they had found out in class that they were going to be student and teacher, the days they had spent away from each other before finally giving in to their attraction. The moment when Ezra had left for New York… his return when she had tried to forget him by dating Noel, before the latter had caught them in Ezra's car.

Mike- "So it was true… when Noel had told me that he saw Mr. Fitz with a student?"

Aria- "Yeah."

Mike seemed lost in his thoughts for a moment but he finally got back to reality.

Mike- "That's why you acted so weird when I told you he was going to talk to the principal? You were freaking out?"

Aria- "That doesn't even begin to describe how I felt at that moment… I went straight to Ezra's after that. Noel… he had been blackmailing him to get better grades but Ezra refused to do it, so Noel…"

M- "Was going to get him fired."

Aria nodded.

Aria- "But Ezra didn't want me to get hurt so he decided to resign before Noel had a chance to talk… He was going to leave town the next day."

Mike- "He would have quit his job for you?"

Aria- "Yes… even if that meant that we couldn't see each other… He wanted to protect me from what could have happen if our relationship was revealed."

Mike- "He really cares about you."

Aria smiled slightly, happy to see that her brother had understood that Ezra wasn't using her. She continued her story with Noel, who had been expelled before he could reveal their forbidden relationship. She told him about their first date, Simone who had flirted with Ezra, his eventful meeting with Bryon, Jackie, the evil ex, and his departure for Hollis. She kept for her the story with Jason. She was trying her best to forget it and didn't want to share this stupid mistake. Aria ended with Ezra coming to the police station, and she was pretty glad to see that Mike now seemed to completely understand that Ezra and her were in love and that nothing, and no one, could separate them.

Mike- "That's a crazy story."

Aria- "I know… but everything is true."

Mike- "I know, I just… I can't believe I never saw what was going on."

Aria- "I'm pretty good at keeping secrets."

Mike- "Yes, I think that's a Montgomery thing."

Aria looked at him. It was true that everyone, at some point, had hidden something to the rest of the family but she wasn't sure that it was a good thing.

Mike- "I mean… you know…"

He gave her a smile to try to relax Aria, who had tensed a little after his last comment. He didn't mean for her to feel singled out, he was just trying to make jokes despite the situation which was far from being funny. Mike knew that now that Aria had revealed her relationship with Ezra to their parents she would have to go through some tough times, but he would be here for her.

Mike- "If Mr. F… Ezra, if Ezra makes you happy, then I'm happy for you Aria."

Aria- "Thank you Mike. It really means a lot to me that you feel that way."

They smiled at each other and Mike hugged his sister. Their embrace lasted a few minutes before they broke it. He then raised his eyes to her with a guilty look.

Mike- "I… I'm sorry I hit him."

Aria gave her a little reassuring smile.

Mike- "When you told me about you and him I… I thought… that he was taking advantage of you."

Aria- "It's okay Mike, I understand why you did it… I'm not mad at you."

She put her hand on his arm.

Aria- "Neither is Ezra."

He looked at her surprised.

Mike- "Really? How do you know that?"

Aria- "Well, after you left I treated him in the bathroom and he… defended you, saying you wanted to protect me."

Mike giggled lightly thinking that his sister's boyfriend had defended him only a few minutes after he had hit him.

Mike- "This guy is definitely a keeper Aria."

It was his sister turned to laugh.

Aria- "Don't worry I'm not gonna let him go away anytime soon."

Aria giggled again. This talk was almost unreal. A few hours ago, her brother was hitting Ezra and now there he was, telling her that he was happy for them. It was really weird, but on the other hand, it really made Aria feel good to know that she could talk so freely about her relationship with Mike. She didn't have to lie to him about her boyfriend and her evening with 'the girls'. She was finally free to say whatever she wanted without being afraid to slip up about her relationship. And she knew that at least one of her family member was supporting her.

Mike- "Hey, have you eaten anything tonight?"

Aria nodded from left to right. Since her fight with her dad, she hadn't left her room.

Aria- "I… I don't wanna see them."

Mike gave her a little understanding smile.

Mike- "You want me to go downstairs and get you something?"

Aria- "I'm not really hungry."

He examined her for a second before getting up of the bed with a smile.

Mike- "Nice try sis, but you're gonna eat whether you want it or not… plus I'm kinda hungry!"

He winked at her and Aria responded to him with a smile, a little surprise to see her brother taking care of her like that. Mike opened the door and turned to her one last time.

Mike- "And just so you know I'll make sure you eat every day, so don't try to get rid of me."

A broad grin spread on his face before he closed the door and Aria then heard him walk down the stairs. She let out a giggle. Last week it was her brother who refused to eat and stayed lock in his room, and now that she was starting to do the same thing he was the one taking care of her. It was almost like the world was upside down. Aria had to admit that her little brother had definitely grown. She knew that she would be able to count on him for the days, even the weeks, to come.

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><p><strong>AN: Like you might have understand this chapter 5 had allow me to show my love for Mike and Spencer, and their relationship with Aria :) Leave me a little review if you liked it (or not I'm open to any critics!)**

**Chapter 6 is already on the work (no inspiration for the one shot, but a lot for this story!). It will probably be in 3/4 parts so here's some hints for what will happen in it: there will be some texting, fighting, friendly time and a surprise visit... oh and also something called Ezria mixed into it!**

**I'll be waiting for your reviews ;) **

**Everyone have a nice weekend and I'll try to be back soon with the one shot for 2x17!**

**XOXO**


	12. Chapter 6: Somewhere In Between part 1

**A/N: Thanks for your reviews! Yo have seriously no idea how much they mean to me :))**

**notinyourlifetimehoney: Sorry about the mistakes it's probably my translation. I'm still working without betareader and it looks like it's gonna like that for a while. But I'll try to do my best on the translation ;)**

**Here's another long chapter, I really didn't feel like cutting this one ;)**

**Got a lot of things to talk about, but I'll let you read first!  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own PLL  
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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Somewhere in Between (part 1)<strong>

Aria was woken the next morning by her alarm clock, which she turned off quickly by dragging one of her arms out of the bed. She opened slightly her eyes, and then closed them straight away, groaning into her pillow. Her night had really been too short and she didn't want to get out of bed. She tightened her blanket around her thinking about last night.

After eating a little snack with her brother in his room while talking about her and Ezra, Aria had went back to her own bed to try to get some sleep. It was a lost cause with her parents talking. After they had occupied the living room all evening, they had went back to their bedroom, not to sleep, but to keep discussing about her relationship. Aria had cursed her house for having such thin walls and like earlier in the evening, she had decided to use her iPod to block out their voices. She had ended falling asleep, her thoughts filled with everything that had happened that day. She had hoped that after a day like that she would have been exhausted and would have slept until the morning, but it wasn't the case. Aria had woken up dozens of times during the night, tossing and turning. She had way too many things on her mind to have a peaceful sleep and the only place where she could have really rest wasn't an option for now. That hadn't stop her from considering several times that option though… to escape through the window in the middle of the night to go snuggle into Ezra's comforting arms… but she knew that it was impossible, it would have brought more problems than solutions. So Aria had continued to toss and turn in her sheets, closing her eyes imagining that he was here, right next to her, just like he had been the night before…

Her phone started to ring and Aria groaned one more time at the sound that kept her from having a quiet waking. She ran a hand on her face, sighting at the same time. Another ringtone resounded and she sat in her bed. Apparently her alarm clock and her phone had decided to not let her go back to sleep this morning and it wasn't the best way to put her in a good mood. Aria took her phone on the night stand to see who was disturbing her that early. Her morning bad humor soon disappeared when she saw who had sent her a text.

_« Good morning Aria. I missed you when I woke up. I love you. Ezra »_

A large grin spread on her face as she read. It was everything she needed to be fully awake. She quickly responded to his text.

_« Good morning. I missed you too, I wish I could've slept in your arms again. I missed hearing you laugh this morning. XO Aria »_

_« My laugh? »_

_« You laughed in your sleep yesterday morning (: It was really cute. »_

_« Oh… You had to see that one day, right? And thanks, you're cute too when you sleep (: »_

_« (: 3 »_

_« (: How are things at home? »_

_« Better with Mike, worse with my parents. I had a fight with my dad after you left and they talked together till late at night. »_

_« They have to figure things out after everything we told them it's normal. I'm sorry about the fight with your dad, what happened? »_

_« He said something stupid and he didn't like when I answered him. I didn't know that he could be so hypocritical. »_

_« Don't blame your dad Aria, he's just trying to understand what and why this is happening. He has the right to be angry at us. He'll calm down after a while. »_

_« I know. I just wish it won't last too long because I hate fighting with them and I hate even more not being with you »_

_« Me too, but remember no matter what happen with your parents, we'll get through it together. »_

_« I know. I love you Ezra »_

_« I love you too Aria »_

_« I should probably get ready for school before my parents come into my room. Thank you for this Ezra, I really needed it. »_

_« You're welcome Ar, you know that I'm always here for you. »_

_« I do. I'll try to call you later or maybe come to Hollis. »_

_« I'm not sure that Hollis is a good idea now that your dad knows. »_

_« You're right ): But I need to see you. »_

_« We'll figure something out ;) Now go get ready for school, I wouldn't want you to be late for English! Love you. »_

_« English isn't fun without you! Love you too XOXO »_

Aria put back her phone next to her, happy that she had been able to talk to Ezra, even if it was only via text messages. He reassured her once again and she was now ready to face this day… and her parents. She finally left her bed to get ready. Aria really wanted to see Ezra today, but like he had told her, going to Hollis with her dad on campus wasn't a good idea. Maybe she could go see him at the apartment tonight? She could use the girls as alibi, like she usually did… but will her parents believe her now that they knew she had lied to them for months? Besides were they going to punish her for it? Of course they would, she just didn't know how yet…

After she had dressed and put her make-up on, Aria prepared her books and took her bag. She opened the door of her room ready to go to class when she saw her dad exited his own bedroom. She really didn't want to talk to him after their fight the day before, but she knew that she had to stay polite if she hoped to make up with him. She glanced at him and gave him a little smile.

Aria- "Morning."

Byron- "Hum where are you going?"

Aria turned to him.

Aria- "School."

He looked at her from top to toe.

Byron- "Wearing that?"

She looked at her own clothes, not understanding what he meant.

Aria- "Yeah, what are you talking about?"

Byron- "Well that's not appropriate for school so… change your clothes."

Aria giggled, thinking that he was joking but she quieted down when she saw her serious look.

Aria- "Since when have I had a dress code dad?"

Ella joined them at that moment, probably drawn by their discussion.

Byron- "Ah since we became aware of who you might be dressing for… So change your clothes."

Aria couldn't believe what her dad was saying. She exchanged a glance with her mom to be sure that she was not dreaming. Ella seemed as lost as her. She thought that her dad had been overreacting the day before, but now he was pushing the envelope too far. He was gonna decide of her clothes now?

Aria- "Ok, well…"

Ella- "A…"

Aria quickly turned to her mom to see if she was going to say something but she didn't, so she looked back at her dad.

Aria- "What am I supposed to wear, a down parka?"

Byron stared at her, feeling his anger built inside of him because of his daughter's attitude.

Byron- "Something that doesn't involve you showing your legs or chest."

She shook her head with irritation.

Aria- "What are you saying exactly?"

Byron- "I'm saying the less skin the better…"

Aria opened her mouth shocked by her father's words. Was he really saying that? Insinuating that the way she dressed was too provocative, that it attracted boys, or in that case Ezra? Was it really how he saw her now?

She stared at her father intensely, hoping that he would apologize for his words, or even start laughing and tell her that it was a joke… but nothing like that happened. They just kept staring at each other, their anger reflecting in their eyes, while Ella was trying to find a solution to calm the situation.

Byron was the one who finally broke the oppressive silence that filled the room.

Byron- "And you're also gonna give me your phone."

Aria let out another giggle. Everything happening was just too crazy to be real.

Aria- "My phone?"

Byron- "Yes, this obviously wouldn't have happen if we had monitored your contacts."

After attacking her outfit he was now going after her relationships, but Aria wasn't going to let him win that easily.

Aria- "You can't take my phone!"

Byron- "Yes I can. I'm your father and I'm the one who paid for it."

Aria- "How will I call my friends?"

Byron- "You can call them from here if you ask us first, and you can see them at school… But no more 'sleepovers' or 'study sessions'."

From the tone of his voice, it was clear to Aria that Byron had understand that those excuses had often been used so that she could spend some time with her boyfriend.

Byron- "It seems like we have given you a little too much freedom and that you took advantage of it, so… until you prove that we can trust you again, you're back to square one Aria…"

She had never seen him so determined. He was probably right on some points but if they had given her so much freedom it was because they trusted her judgment and the fact that she was dating Ezra shouldn't have changed that. He was a good man they knew that, he being in love with her didn't change that.

Byron- "Aria, your phone!"

Byron reached out his hand so she would give it to him. She glanced at the mother, hoping that she would tell her husband that he was going too far, but Ella didn't move. Aria let out a sigh, realizing that she couldn't do anything to avoid that. She took her phone in her bag before putting it hesitantly in her dad's hand. Her eyes stayed lock on it. She had just given up her only permanent way to communicate with Ezra. She wouldn't be able to text him or call him whenever she wanted to… and she couldn't do that with her friends either…

Byron- "And from now on you go to school and come home right after. If you need a ride somewhere your mom or I will drive you."

Aria raised her eyes to her dad, infuriated by his overreaction.

Aria- "What's next you're gonna lock me in my room?"

Byron was going to answer but Ella did before him, seeing that their fight was, once again, getting out of hand.

Ella- "Byron I… I've got this."

Aria got back into her room pushed by her mom, but not without glaring at her dad first.

Ella closed the door behind them and walked straight to her daughter's closet.

Ella- "If I were you I'll pick and choose my battles."

Aria sat on the bed and started to open the zipper of her boots.

Aria- "Since when did wearing knee-high become a battle…"

She took off her shoes, throwing them with irritation on the ground.

Aria- "And what's that with my phone? I can't even talk to my friends now?"

Ella put an outfit on her daughter's bed. She knew that Aria was pissed because of the punishment Byron had imposed to her, but she had to understand that this attitude wouldn't help her.

Ella- "Today is not the day to question your father."

Ella headed towards the door.

Aria- "Why? What HE of all people coming down on ME, for an inappropriate relationship!"

She turned back to her daughter.

Ella- "Aria!"

She immediately realized that she had gone too far with her words. She was angry at her dad not her mom. Aria didn't want to hurt her by reminding her of that painful memory.

Aria- "I'm sorry…"

Ella looked down and Aria sat up on her bed to talk to her mom. She didn't seem as irritated as her father, maybe there was a chance that she would understand her relationship with Ezra.

Aria- "I thought maybe at least… you would've…"

Her mom interrupted her before she could continue.

Ella- "That I would what?… That I would give my teenage daughter and Mr. Fitz my blessing?"

Aria couldn't actually think that? She couldn't really believe that her, her mother, would approve of them without saying a word?

Ella- "Your father and I are in agreement here… because we were lie to for a really long time by you and by a colleague!"

Aria- "Well I didn't tell you guys because I was scared that you would react… react like this…"

Aria had expected the worst when they would know about her relationship with Ezra and what had happened was really close to it. Mike hitting Ezra, Byron kicking him out and threatening to call the police…it could have hardly gone worse.

Ella- "Yeah, well evidently you know us a lot better than we know you…"

Ella thought that she knew her daughter better than anyone else and that they had gotten closer during her separation with her dad, but the revelation of this lie had showed her that she was wrong.

Ella- "But that's gonna change, cause you're gonna be spending a lot more time with your family and a lot less time with your friends…"

Her friends? Aria hadn't started dating Ezra because of her friends! In fact they had found out about their relationship a lot later. They had nothing to do with it. So why did her parents seem so determined to prevent her from seeing them?

Aria- "What does Ezra have to do with my friends?"

Ella felt her anger increase when she heard her daughter say his name. It was only rubbing salt on the wound that was this huge lie.

Ella- "And you're gonna be cutting him off completely and that means not even saying goodbye, is that clear?"

Aria stared at her mom while letting out a little sigh. Her parents weren't even going to try to understand… they were just simply going to forbid her from seeing Ezra, like if it was the easiest thing in the world… Leaving the man of your life without a goodbye… Weren't her parents supposed to support her? Yes, it was true that she had lied to them, but they could at least make an effort and try to understand what was really going on between her and Ezra before they make a decision regarding them.

She kept her eyes looked in her mother's. The latter seemed determined but not as much as her dad did a few minutes ago, maybe she could try to talk to her. After all, Aria knew that Ella considered Ezra like a friend before all this drama.

Aria- "Do you like him?"

Ella shook her head on the side. Had her daughter not hear what she just told her? And why was she asking that? She had forbidden her to see him again.

Ella- "What?"

Aria kept looking at her with determination, wanting more than anything to hear her answer.

Aria- "Do you like him?"

Ella saw that her daughter would not let it go. She could be really stubborn when she wanted to, that she knew. Aria had told them the truth the day before, so after all, if she wanted an honest answer, she had the right to have it.

Ella- "I did."

Her mom seemed really sincere. She was hurt by her friend's betrayal, but Aria knew that the fact that she had known and appreciated Ezra before she learnt that he was dating her daughter, was an opportunity she had to seize.

Aria- "Then you still do mom. He's the same man he was last week. He being with me doesn't change anyth…"

Ella- "He lied to us Aria!"

Ella had raised her tone again. Her daughter was determined not to let go and it infuriated Ella that she had to repeat to her the same thing over and over again. It was like if she didn't listen to what her and her husband were saying.

Aria- "You know why we did that, or won't you here yesterday? Didn't you hear what we said?"

Her mother could be stubborn sometimes, but Aria couldn't let her have the last word.

Ella- "I did Aria… but that doesn't mean I approve and understand it…"

Aria- "Then let me explain to you… I know you have questions mom, I'll answer all of them… It took me a lot of time to understand too… Let me help you… please… just give me a chance."

Ella knew that Aria could be determined, but she had never seen her that much determined before now, before yesterday when she was talking about her and Ezra… It was definitively something that mattered to her… and Ella had indeed a lot of questions that she wanted to ask, a lot of things to shed light on… She couldn't refuse a discussion with her daughter, even if that didn't mean that she would let her see Ezra again.

Ella- "Okay, we'll talk…"

Aria let out a sigh of relief, happy to hear that her mother would give her a chance to explain.

Ella- "I got a meeting after class today, but tomorrow… after school."

Aria gave her a little smile while nodding. She got up from her bed before embracing her mother.

Aria- "Thanks mom."

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><p><strong>AN: Really enjoyed rewriting that scene :)) Hope you like reading it ;) **

**I told you there would be some Ezria in this chapter ;) might be more coming if you ask for it! Like usual let me know your thoughts on the chap :)**

**Ok first thing: I know I didn't post my one shot for 2x17 and the reason is I didn't write it, well to be honest I try writing it this weekend and spend hours writing and deleting and in the end I hated what I did. So yeah huge writer block and lack of inspiration on this one :( I'm really sorry coz I know some of you were waiting for it but I'm just not inspired for this one right now. I'll try to get back to it later I promise! But there will be a one shot for 2x18 my mind is already working on it!**

**Next! One big problem that I just have to talk about coz it makes me really angry! People need to stop hating on Lucy and Chris coz they're dating! Seriously what is that? How can people say that they're a fan of her and then hate on her like that? She's happy so leave her the hell alone! It's her life not yours. Lucy and Ian are just friends get over it! Yes they would make a cute couple but they aren't one so stop the hate! Lucy's happy and if you really love her you should be happy for her too! If you dont like Chris fine but dont hate on him! Lucy won't stop dating him coz of you! Plus all the hate is hurting her so stop being so immature if you really love her! You dont wanna listen to me fine, but listen to Lucy, Holly, Marlene! Like Luce said "Why hate on something that clearly makes someone happy?" Oh and the haters better not hurt her tmr on the ustream!  
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**Just so you know I do love Ian and Lucy together but as friends.**

**Ok I'm done, sorry for that if you're not involve in any of the hate I just needed to say it!**

**Be back with the next part soon and the 2x18 one shot too I promise! ;)**

**PS: Title of this chapter is from the song "Somewhere in Between" by Lifehouse :))  
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